In His Father's Footsteps
by Swoofie
Summary: With Goku's death, Gohan is left as the Earth's Protector. Follow him on his many adventures as he fights to overcome his inner demon and struggles to follow in his father's footsteps. Post-Cell Games/Buu Saga. Eventual Gh/V.
1. His Father's Son

**READ:** Hey everyone! If any of you can remember me, its _**Solidflamez**_, but under a new username. I'm probably most recognized for my stories related to Naruto (if any of you have read them: Son of Konoha, The Mission, For He So Loved the World). I've been gone from FanFiction for a long time and I'm finally getting back into the swing of things. I deleted the old fics off that account and decided to start fresh. I'd like to earn back my reputation as a writer not just by name, but as someone who writes good fics. And if any of you do in fact know who I am, shhh...please don't tell the Naruto ppl I'm back! I'm not ready to go back to writing fics for that category. Anyway, on with the story!

Basic summary: I was rather disappointed in how things turned out after the Cell Games. A good 7 years were just skipped over and aside from his adventures in High School and as Saiyaman, I feel Gohan was pushed aside and made to be rather weak. This is my version of what I would have like to seen happen with the series, including events that happened in the 7 years of peace before Buu. Aside from the first scene, the story begins about a year later.

~~~InHisFather'sFootsteps~~~

**Chapter 1: His Father's Son**

"All we have to do now is get ourselves to New Namek!" exclaimed an ecstatic Krillen, his face splitting into a huge grin. Atop Kami's Lookout the bald man stood, alongside him the other members of the Z Senshi, and Shenron, the eternal dragon, looming hundreds of feet above them awaiting their final wish.

"Then we all agree?" asked Yamcha, eying his comrades as he sought their confirmation. "That will be our second wish?"

Before anyone could respond an all too familiar voice cut in. "Hey! Don't I get any say in this?" All heads on the Lookout shot upwards at this. "Hey, everybody! It's me!"

"H-huh!" gasped Yamcha, his gaze towards the heavens.

"Goku?" cried a surprised Krillen, unable to believe who he was hearing.

"King Kai is letting me talk to you from the Otherworld, so listen up," said Goku. "Lately I've been thinking about why the Earth is always in danger and I realized that most of the guys that attacked it were after me. Think about it; Freeza, Cell, the Androids…" he trailed off.

"It's an interesting point," said Tien thoughtfully.

"I guess, but where's he going with this?" asked a confused Yamcha. Around him the others nodded in agreement. What could their favorite Saiyan be up to this time?

Gohan, on the other hand, knew exactly what his father would say next. The Earth would be much safer without all the alien super villains coming after Goku and although they were safe for now, who knew when the next bad guy would show up to challenge the third-classed warrior. While it broke his heart knowing he'd never see Goku again, the young hybrid knew it was for the best.

"Well," continued the dead Saiyan. "I think it would be better for Earth if I didn't come back this time. King Kai even agrees with me!"

"_Sort_ of," they heard a nasally voice reply.

"As a Saiyan baby, I was sent to Earth to destroy it, and although all my life I've tried to do the opposite, it's kind of like I've been fulfilling that mission all along." Letting out a gentle sigh, he smiled and informed them of his decision. "So yeah, I'm gonna stay here now. I really don't mind. King Kai said I can get special treatment because I saved the Earth and all. I'll be able to keep my body and from what I hear, there's a lot of interesting people to meet. It'll be fun!"

There was a tense pause as everyone began to slowly let the news sink in.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is…I really appreciate your feelings towards me, but you'll have to find something else to wish for. This is my home now."

Gohan's head hung low at this, fists clenching to white as he silently seethed. He wasn't angry at his father; he could very well understand Goku's decision and was mature enough to respect it. No, the person he was angry with was none other than himself.

_'It's my entire fault!'_ he thought quietly. _'If only I had finished off Cell when my father had told me to, then he wouldn't be dead and we wouldn't be having this conversation!'_

"Gohan is so strong now!" said Goku with tremendous pride. "I have nothing left to teach him!"

"But that doesn't mean I don't need you!" shouted a frustrated Gohan. He understood why his father couldn't come back, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt.

"Gohan, you are now the strongest fighter on Earth, perhaps even in the universe," said his father. "You can take care of yourself now; you don't need me anymore. You've grown up so fast and I know that it's my entire fault…I hate putting this burden on your shoulders, especially after all I've put you through, but I leave you as Earth's protector."

"M-me?" stuttered Gohan weakly. "Are you serious?" His father had always been the claimed protector of Earth, and now it was _his_ responsibility.

"Yeah, take care of everyone okay? Especially your mother, understand? You're now man of the house. Well, I have to go now, lot's to see and do! Goodbye everyone!" With those final words the connection was broken and the Lookout was left in silence. For a moment they stood there, each lost in their own private memories of their fallen friend.

Slowly, Gohan walked to the edge of the Lookout, stepping off the platform as he allowed his energy to lift him up. Smiling gently to his friends, he gave them a two fingered salute before soaring off high into the sky. Higher and higher the young Saiyan flew, through the many layers of atmosphere until he finally stopped, just on the brink of outer space. Halting his ascent he turned and looked down, the whole planet Earth laid out before him.

"You've given so much for all of us Dad," Gohan spoke softly. "You gave everything up, even your life, to protect us and all who live on this planet…" He took a minute to stare at his home world, etching this moment into his mind forever. This was _**his**_ planet and it was his duty to safeguard it, just as Goku had done before him. Closing his eyes, he searched for the right words to say. A second later his eyes snapped open, a gentle grin adorning his features.

Clenching his fists tightly, he slightly hunched over as a white aura surrounded his powerful form. It started out with a slight growl as the aura changed from white to yellow, his charcoal black hair and onyx eyes replaced with blond locks and teal pupils. The growl grew into a shout, and the shout into a deafening roar as Gohan ascended to the second level of Super Saiyan, his body alight in a glorious golden flame. Smiling he stared deep into the heavens and swore his life to Earth.

Knowing his father was watching, he proclaimed his life's pledge. "With this power, I will do just as you have always done. I will follow in your footsteps, and with my life, I will protect the Earth."

And far off in Otherworld, Goku smiled as his son's promise reached his ears. _'I know you'll do just fine, Gohan. I'm proud of you son.'_

~~~InHisFather'sFootsteps~~~

"Special Beam Cannon!"

Whipping around, Gohan fired a ki blast of his own, the two beams colliding in mid-air. A bright flash of light, followed by a loud explosion; a thick cloud of smoke filled the morning air. Milliseconds later, a green figure emerged from the cloud, charging forward at incredible speeds. Raising his arms in defense, the young Saiyan dodged the Namekian's attack, jerking to the left in order to avoid Piccolo's mighty fist. Phasing in behind the older male, Gohan swung his right leg up in an arc, slamming it back down upon his mentor's neck.

With a grunt Piccolo stumbled forward, awkwardly falling to his knees. Letting out an angry growl, the green alien jumped back up onto his feet, twisting his hips as he delivered a reverse side-kick to Gohan's stomach. Grimacing in pain, the young warrior latched onto the foot, holding it in a vice-like grip. With a gentle burst of ki he flew into the sky, spinning them around a few times before relinquishing his hold, hurling Piccolo into a nearby hillside.

"Masenko ha!" cried Gohan, launching the golden ball of energy from his extended fists.

"Oh crap…" muttered Piccolo as he slowly removed himself from the wreckage of his landing. With no time to get out of the way, he instinctively raised his ki, crossing his arms protectively in front of himself as he took the blast head on. Gritting his teeth in concentration, he shielded his body from the brunt of the attack, patiently waiting for it to end. As soon as the light faded away, he wasted no time getting back into the fray, sending a bone-breaking punch into Gohan's cheek. Reeling back, the Saiyan used the force of the blow to flip backwards, catching Piccolo in the jaw mid-flip.

Landing on his feet, Gohan attacked with reckless abandon, slamming his sensei with a powerful combination of knees, elbows, kicks, and punches. He left no room for a counterstrike, leaving Piccolo with the only option of defending himself the best he could. That task in itself proved to be difficult, the young hybrid's attacks increasing in strength and speed as time went on.

Growing tired of being on the defensive, Piccolo stepped back and powered up, the force of his aura pushing a surprised Gohan away. Regaining his precious (and much needed) space, he went on the offensive, nailing the child with a swift uppercut to the jaw, followed by a consecutive roundhouse kick to the face. Unfortunately for him, the Saiyan recovered much quicker from these blows than expected, easily blocking or dodging Piccolo's continued assault.

Dodging a fist, Gohan countered with a swift jab to the older male's face, following it up with several well aimed kicks to the torso. Without skipping a beat, Gohan carried on with his onslaught of attacks; in one fluid motion he elbowed Piccolo across the face before using that very same arm to grab him by the back of his neck and pull him towards himself, where a forceful knee waited to sink itself into the Namekian's gut.

"Agh!" was all Piccolo could choke out as his stomach met Gohan's knee.

Giving his opponent no time to recover, Gohan clasped his hands together, raising his joined hands above his head before slamming them back down, jack-hammering Piccolo into the hard ground. Extending his arm, he pointed an open palm at the downed alien, ki quickly gathering into a glowing blue ball. Just as he was about to release the blast, his mother's shrill voice pierced through the silence of the 439 Mountain District.

"GOHAAAAAN!"

Both males groaned in frustration, a little annoyed that their battle had been interrupted. Dispersing his ki, Gohan reached out a hand and helped Piccolo to his feet. "Sorry, but I think that's my cue to go," he said, wiping the sweat from his brow.

"You did well kid," said Piccolo. "You've definitely improved, though you might want to watch that left side of yours more," he suggested.

"I…uh…purposely let it down for the sake of the battle," replied a sheepish Gohan, scratching the back of his head in the familiar Son fashion.

Piccolo's eyes narrowed. "…You went easy on me?" Gohan let out an uneasy laugh at this, shyly looking away. Shaking his head, the Namekian let out a soft chuckle and said, "You've become a powerful young man Gohan; too strong for even your old sensei. Looks like Vegeta is the only one left tough enough to give you a challenge."

"I-I guess…"

"Just don't let the power get to your head, kid." Ruffling the boy's dark locks affectionately, Piccolo waved goodbye and flew off, headed back to the Lookout. Gohan watched him go, mulling over his friend's parting words. Becoming a power hungry maniac was one of his worst nightmares, the consequences of losing control during the Cell Games still fresh in his mind.

"Gohan, it's time for breakfast!" his mother called again. Breaking from his thoughts, the young Saiyan hurried inside, not wishing to face his mother's wrath for being late. Saiyan or not; not even he was strong enough to face his mother's Frying Pan of Doom and come out unscathed. And he had the head bruises to prove it!

~~~InHisFather'sFootsteps~~~

"Breakfast was great! Thanks a lot mom!"exclaimed Gohan, setting down his chopsticks. "I'm going upstairs to finish my homework now. Is it alright if I spar with Vegeta when I'm done?"

"Even if I said no, I know that you'd find a way to go anyway," replied his mother as she gathered the dishes. "So here's the deal; I want you to finish all of today's homework, get started on your work for tomorrow, and give Goten a bath. After that, the rest of the day you're free to do as you please."

"Really?" he asked, excitedly. He was already more than halfway done with today's work and tomorrow's lessons were easy enough. Toss in a dirty baby, and he'd be finished with everything before noon. It was almost too good to be true.

"As long as you finish your part of the bargain," answered Chichi.

"Don't worry about a thing! I'll finish all my studies for today and tomorrow and have Goten smelling like a freshly picked flower!"

At that moment a loud crash caught the two's attention as mother and son turned their gazes towards the source of the noise. They were just in time to watch a bowl of smashed potatoes and peas land haphazardly onto the baby Saiyan's head. Chichi let out a loud laugh, shaking her head in amusement as she returned to her dishes. "Good luck with that," she snorted.

Grimacing, Gohan gently picked up the dirty child, holding him at arm's length. "I think I'll give Goten a bath first," he said, eying a blob of green mush as it plopped to the floor. "C'mon little guy, let's get you cleaned up."

Climbing the stairs, he brought his brother into the bathroom and sat him down on the floor. Removing the baby's clothing, he tossed them aside for a moment as he slowly deposited Goten into the bathtub. Turning the water to warm, he gently rinsed off the excess food before plugging the drain. As he waited for the tub to fill, Gohan quickly gathered his brother's discarded clothes and brought them into his and Goten's shared room. Tossing the soiled linen into the clothes hamper, he grabbed a new set of clothes and a diaper before heading back.

Setting the items aside, he peered into the tub and found it to be half full. Turning off the faucet, he seized the shampoo and kneeled down. Pouring some into his hands, he quickly lathered it up and began washing his brother's hair.

"Look! You're a rock star!" he joked, forming a Mohawk with Goten's black spikes. The mini Saiyan let out a squeal of delight and laughed, latching onto his big brother's finger. "H-hey! Let go of me!" laughed Gohan, struggling to pull away without injuring the child.

"Mom!" shouted Goten.

Chuckling, Gohan answered, "Mom is downstairs, cleaning the dishes. Now let go!" Prying the baby's hands off of his finger, he went back to washing. "Jeez, for a little guy you sure are strong," he muttered, amused.

"Mom!" cried Goten once more.

"Hey, enough with Mom! Let's hear you say 'big brother!' Can you say that?" smiled Gohan, rinsing the suds from Goten's hair.

His question was met with dead silence, Goten staring up at him with innocent eyes, his tiny head cocked to the side in confusion.

"I guess you don't know that word yet," said Gohan, smiling as he shook his head. Grabbing a wash rag and a bar of soap, he set out to finish his task, bathing Goten till he was squeaky clean. Rinsing off the last of the soapy bubbles, he turned off the water and grabbed two towels. Lying one on the floor, he placed Goten on top of it, using the second one to dry him.

"There we go, all done," said the older Saiyan as he finished. Reaching up onto the counter, he seized Goten's clothes and diaper and placed the on the floor beside him. Fixing him with a diaper, Gohan clothed the baby Goten in black sweatpants and an orange t-shirt before picking him up and returning the towels to their rightful places.

"All right, let's get outta here," he said, carrying the child to their room. Placing him in the crib, Gohan gave Goten his monkey plushy and sat down at his desk. "Just lie there and play while I finish my work, okay?"

"Mom!" squealed Goten, for the third time.

"I heard you the first time, buddy!" replied Gohan, pulling his calculus book and notepad towards himself. Flipping the book to the right page, he snatched a pencil from one of his drawers and immediately set to work. His pencil danced across the page as he swiftly worked his way through the problems, paying little heed to the world around him.

"Daddy!" called a tiny voice, suddenly.

Gohan's pencil hit the desk as his eyes widened in surprise, his heart hammering loudly in his chest. Did his ears deceive him, or had he heard right?

"Daddy!"

Scooting out of his chair, Gohan stood up and walked over to the crib. "W-what did you say?" he asked, too stunned to say anything more.

Smiling from ear to ear, Goten pointed at him and repeated the word, causing the older Saiyan's stomach to sink. "Daddy!"

"No!" he cried, sharply. Goten, hearing the anger in his brother's tone, reeled back in fear, unsure of what he had done wrong. Sniffing lightly, his face scrunched up and his eyes began to tear. Gohan, realizing his brother was about to cry, immediately scooped the younger Saiyan into his arms and held him tightly to his chest. "Shh…it's okay Goten. It's okay. Don't cry okay? I didn't mean to yell at you."

"…Daddy?" repeated Goten, brow furrowing in confusion.

"No, no Goten…I'm not Daddy," answered Gohan, suddenly finding it very hard to breathe. "I'm Gohan, your big brother. Dad…Dad isn't here anymore…"

"B..b-brother?" mimicked Goten.

Gohan grinned widely and nodded his head in satisfaction. "Yes, you got it! That's right!" he exclaimed happily. "Brother!"

Goten's face split into blindingly bright smile as he giggled merrily. "Brother! Brother! Brother!" he shouted, over and over again.

Chuckling, Gohan placed him back inside the crib. "Looks like you have a new favorite word, squirt."

~~~InHisFather'sFootsteps~~~

"Are you sure about this, Gohan?" asked Chichi, eying her oldest hesitantly. "Bulma and I…we don't need to go out. We can just sit in the living room and talk over tea while you and Vegeta train."

"Don't worry, Mom," said Gohan, adjusting Goten in his arms. Beside him stood an annoyed Saiyan Prince, one arm holding his son, the other placed on his hip in displeasure. "Vegeta and I have everything covered and if we need help, Mrs. Briefs is always around. You two go out and have some fun; with all the work you do at home, you deserve a nice break."

"All right," she said. "Bulma's mother and I have already prepared dinner for the two of you; it's being kept warm in the oven. When you're ready to eat, just heat it up. Now don't train too hard, okay? I love you both!" Blowing her sons a kiss, the Son matriarch followed her blue haired friend out for a night on the town.

"Great," muttered Vegeta after the women had gone. "This was supposed to be training session, not a social visit! You come over to spar, and those two decide they want to have a girl's night out. How the hell are we supposed to train if we're stuck babysitting the brats!"

"Relax! Don't get your spandex all in a twist," retorted Gohan. "They've just been fed and their diapers changed. We'll just put them down for a nap and by the time they wake up, we'll be done with our spar and dinner."

Grunting in response, Vegeta lead him to Trunks' nursery, placing his son in his crib as Gohan put Goten in the spare. Quietly they left the room and hurried to the GR, eager to being their spar.

"Ready…" began Vegeta, falling into a stance.

"Set…" continued Gohan, mirroring Vegeta's actions.

"GO!" they cried simultaneously. Launching from their positions, the two charged towards one another. Vegeta threw the first punch, his longer reach giving him a slight advantage. Swatting the hand away, Gohan countered with one of his own, smashing his fist into the Saiyan Prince's jaw. Jumping into the air, he delivered a powerful flying kick to the older male's torso, causing him to stumble back. Landing on his feet, Gohan propelled forward, aiming punches left and right as Vegeta defended himself the best he could. Ducking beneath a punch, he slammed his fist into Gohan's side, following it up with an uppercut to the jaw.

Gohan growled angrily as he fell to his feet, and retaliated, catching Vegeta in a leg sweep. Falling to his back, the Saiyan groaned as the air was knocked out of him. He watched Gohan jump to his feet, rolling out of the way as the younger Saiyan attempted to stomp on him. Flipping up, he fired a volley of ki blasts at his opponent, smirking in satisfaction as several hit home.

Gohan grunted in pain, his body stinging with every blast. He quickly phased behind Vegeta, out of harm's way. Jumping into the air, he twisted his body, slamming the prince with a butterfly kick in the back. Letting out a surprised cry, Vegeta staggered forward, though he quickly recovered from the blow. Spinning around, he sent a powerful kick to Gohan's head, sending him sprawling to the floor.

"I know you can do better than this!" shouted Vegeta as he transformed into a Super Saiyan. The poor boy could do little to defend himself, body aching as he was repeatedly slammed with kicks and punches. "What's wrong kid? Have you suddenly gone soft on me?"

Gohan fell to the ground, a pained expression adorning his features. Pushing himself to his knees, he took a moment to rest. Breathing heavily, he tried to focus on the fight, but Goten's little outburst from earlier was still in his mind.

"Pathetic," snorted Vegeta. "If your father could see you now, he'd be ashamed of you! At least he had the dignity to fight back!"

Gohan's head shot up at Vegeta's statement, his words stinging like salt on a fresh wound. As the prince continued to taunt him, his anger grew ever more, a deep seeded rage building within him. His father was proud of him; he had said it himself! But as the seconds dragged on, he finally let his anger get the best of him.

"You are not fit to bear the title of Earth's Protect—oomph!" Vegeta gasped in pain Gohan smashed his fist into his jaw, sending him flying back. With a furious roar, the younger Saiyan burst into his Super Saiyan 2 form, his body engulfed in a golden flame, bolts of electricity crackling wildly around him.

Phasing in front of Vegeta, Gohan hit him with a right hook before grabbing him by the straps of his armor and throwing him into the wall. As the Saiyan fell, he appeared beside him and kicked him back up. Grasping Vegeta by the shoulders, Gohan rammed him into the wall. Punch after punch he threw, stopping only to occasionally prop the Prince back up against the wall whenever he was about to slump over. This was no longer a spar, but a beating, as Gohan could only focus on one thing: causing Vegeta as much pain as possible.

Finally allowing the older Saiyan to fall, Gohan jumped back and extended his hand, preparing to blast the prince into oblivion. From where he lay on the cool tiles below, Vegeta weakly turned his head to face the boy, groaning as he reverted back to his normal state.

"D-do your…worst…" he spat, too proud to accept his defeat.

Eyes widening, Gohan finally came to his senses and powered down, stumbling back in shock. What had he just done? "Vegeta!" he cried, falling to his knees. "Are you okay? I'm so, so sorry!"

"I'm fine," said Vegeta, struggling to his feet. "Why the hell did you stop? We aren't through fighting!"

"I could have killed you!"

"Pft! Yeah right! Only in your wildest dreams could you achieve such a feat!"

"I…I don't want to spar anymore, Vegeta," said Gohan, shaking his head. "That's enough for tonight okay? Let's just go eat dinner…" Begrudgingly the prince agreed and the two exited the GR.

Dinner was a quiet affair, the only noise the clinking of their utensils as the two devoured the mountain of food prepared for them. When they were finished, Mrs. Briefs came in and collected their plates and left, leaving the two to sit in an awkward silence.

"What happened today?" asked Vegeta suddenly. Although not one to talk, his curiosity over their earlier spar got the better of him. "You don't usually lose control like that."

"I'm sorry about all that…" said Gohan, head hung in shame. "Today was just an off day for me is all." Vegeta raised a questioning eyebrow and signaled for him to go on. "I-I try not to think too much of my father…but today….today Goten called me 'Daddy.' And then earlier, you kept saying how my father would be ashamed of me…I dunno. Just thinking about him…I lost control…"

It was silent as the two continued to sit there, having nothing else to talk about. With a tired sigh, Vegeta stood up and walked to the door. "Clean up and get some rest. You remember where the guest room is, correct?" Receiving a nod he continued, "Good. I'll check up on the brats and then I'm going to sleep. Goodnight." With a curt nod, he walked out.

As he left, he saw Gohan bury his head in his hands, letting out a low groan. Walking to the nursery, he first checked up on his son, a small smile making its way onto his face as he watched his child slumber peacefully. In a rare show of affection, he leaned down and kissed his boy on the forehead before moving to check up on Goten.

"You foolish little boy," whispered Vegeta, eying the sleeping child. So young, innocent, and without a care in the world…all the things he and Gohan weren't. He knew the pain of losing one's father, and understood it well. "You do not know the grief you have caused your brother, just by saying that one word…" Gently he laid a hand on the Saiyan baby, saying a silent prayer over him, so that he might not have to suffer as he and Gohan had.

~~~InHisFather'sFootsteps~~~

Okay! I hope you liked it so far! The next few chapters should be out soon, as I already have them written. All that's left to be done is to re-read them and fix any errors. Please review! I love hearing from my readers! It keeps me motivated and let's me know that I'm actually posting my story for a reason.


	2. Save the Day

**Chapter 2: Save the Day**

"Foolish little boy! You cannot defeat me!" Gohan reeled back in pain, his cheek stinging, having been on the receiving end of Cell's powerful fist. Reaching up a hand, he wiped the blood away from his lip, all the while glaring at the green monstrosity. Turning his head to the side, he spat out the remaining blood before stepping into a defensive stance, his legs spread wide apart with his hands held protectively in front of his body.

"I'm only just getting started, Cell," he replied calmly. "Now…bring it on!" Cell smirked and charged, a cloud of dust trailing behind him as he raced forward. With incredible force, he threw a punch at the boy, only to have it blocked and countered. He groaned in pain as Gohan's knee slammed upwards into his chin, stumbling back from the force of the blow. Lashing out in anger, Cell attacked the Saiyan, who simply ducked beneath the kick and hit him with another punch.

Following up his assault, Gohan hit the android with a combination of kicks and punches, allowing the larger male no chances of retaliation. Phasing behind him, the Super Saiyan child kicked upwards, sending Cell sailing high into the sky. He watched disinterestedly as Cell grew smaller and smaller the further he got away from the ground. With almost a bored sigh, he gathered his ki and flew after him.

About a mile up, Cell's ascent to the heavens had finally stopped and gravity began taking its toll. With a simple burst of ki, though, Earth's gravity was rendered useless, and he floated there, watching as Gohan's golden aura was seen shooting up towards him. Bringing both hands forward, Cell rained down a barrage of ki blasts, cackling madly as he threw blast after blast.

Below, Gohan swerved left and right, phasing in and out of the place as he dodged the torrent of attacks. As he neared, Cell's volley ended and instead, he brought both hands together and created one, large ball of energy. Almost a yard in diameter, Cell threw the yellow orb of ki at him, smirking as the blast drew near.

Gohan frowned as he saw the attack. Gathering his ki, he threw his own blast, both beams colliding in mid-air. Bursting through the smoke, he smacked Cell with a solid punch to the jaw. Continuing his assault, the Saiyan kneed him in the gut before twirling around and hitting Cell with a reverse side kick. Phasing behind him, the nine year old performed an axe kick, his right leg arching up before slamming down onto Cell's neck. Once again, Cell was sent flying, this time racing towards the hard ground below.

Phasing above him as he fell, Gohan latched onto his tail and flipped several times, before releasing him once more. With increased force, Cell crash landed into the earth, his impact forming a large crater in the ground. Floating above the crash site, Gohan copied Cell's earlier move and bombarded him with a hail of ki blasts.

"MASENKO HA!" With that final attack, Gohan landed on the ground, awaiting the results of his onslaught. As the smoke cleared, it revealed a mutilated Cell, the left side of his body completely gone.

"Is that all you got?" laughed Cell, as his body repaired itself.

Gohan growled angrily. No matter what he threw at the guy, it was never enough. In the back of his mind, a small voice called to him, begging for release. Ignoring the voice, he rushed forward, preparing another attack. Off in the distance, his friends and family cheered him on.

"C'mon, Gohan! You can do it!" shouted Goku, smiling proudly at his boy. "Remember your training!"

"Go, Gohan! Kick his ass!" cried Krillen, Yamcha and Tien shouting out their agreement.

Blocking a punch, Gohan attempted to kick Cell, only to have him dodge. He groaned as he was hit with a number of punches and kicks, failing to block or evade the attacks. Soon, Cell had taken the upper hand in the fight, and poor Gohan was receiving the beating of a lifetime.

"Agh!" Gohan fell to his knees, exhausted beyond belief. '_This is impossible. I can't beat him!_'

'**Let me out.'**

'_Who are you?'_

'**I'm the faster, stronger, smarter part of you. I'm your better half. Let me out and Cell will be finished in no time.' **

'_What? What do you mean you're my better half?_'

'**You're the weak, stupid part of Gohan. I'm his better, stronger part; unfortunately though, you have full reign of his body. But let me out, and I can save the world. I can defeat Cell and you won't have to worry about him ever again!'**

"What's this? Are you finally admitting defeat?" taunted Cell, as Gohan remained motionless on the floor. Kicking the boy in the gut, he watched in satisfaction as the Saiyan rolled over in pain.

'_How can I trust you?' _

'**I'm you, silly! Just a better version!'**

Gohan groaned as he was repeatedly kicked in the stomach, his body aching with pain.

'**C'mon, let me out!'**

'_I…I don't want to….'_

'**Do it!'**

"GOHAN! Get up!" he heard his father cry.

' _No!'_

'**C'mon! Only for a little while! Once everything is over with, I'll go right back in!'**

'_No…'_

"What a pathetic excuse for a warrior," teased Cell.

'**LET ME OUT!'**

'…_Fine.'_

"Ha! Your father must have hit his head or something to actually believe that you could defeat me! I am—oh?" He looked down in slight surprise as his foot was caught by Gohan as it was on its way towards his abdomen once more. "So you're deciding to fight back now?"

"I'm more than fighting back," he retorted, his voice dripping menacingly. Letting go of the foot, he pushed himself up and stepped back a few feet. "You wanted to see power, Cell? I'll show you power!" With a mighty roar, Gohan ascended to the second level of Super Saiyan, the golden flames of his aura washing over him as lightning danced all around him. "One attack! That's all it'll take to defeat you!"

"Oh really?" asked Cell, laughing amusedly.

"Really." Flying back a dozen yards, the improved Gohan cupped together his hands as he prepared to deliver the final blow. "KA…"

"Ah, this technique," said Cell, as he too began to charge up his own.

"ME…"

"HA…"

"ME…"

"HAAAA!" In unison, the two combatants released their Kamehameha waves. The giant twin orbs of blue energy raced towards each other, meeting together in one humungous ball of ki.

"You can't beat me!" shouted Cell, smirking. Pouring more ki into the attack, it seemed as if his Kamehameha was about to overtake Gohan's.

"I can and I will! HAAAA!" With one, mighty heave, Gohan released a torrent of energy into the attack. In seconds, his Kamehameha wave had overtaken Cell's, absorbing the android in the blast. As the light faded away, no signs of Cell remained.

"Way to go Gohan! I'm so proud of you!" cried Goku, as he flew to his son's side.

'_All right! We beat him! Now let me out!'_ Gohan said to his other half.

' …**No.'**

'_What! What do you mean no?'_

'**I mean no! It's my turn to live out in the real world! I earned this! I fought Cell! I defeated him! I am the most powerful being in the universe! I could rule this world if I wanted to! Actually, now that I think about it…'** An evil smirk made its way onto his face.

'_No! You wouldn't!'_

'**Oh, but I would! I could start right here, right now…'**

"You okay, Gohan?" asked Goku, noticing his son's silence. His eyes suddenly widened in surprise, his mouth opening in a silent scream. Looking down, he saw his son's arm impaled through his stomach, his life's blood flowing freely from the wound. He grimaced in pain as Gohan yanked his arm out, smirking haughtily at his father. "G-Gohan…"

"What the hell is wrong with you!" cried Trunks angrily. "He's your father! Why did you attack him?" His answer was a ki blast straight through the chest.

'_Noooo—!'_

"NOOOO!" Gohan awoke in a cold sweat, his chest heaving as he sat up, breathing heavily through his mouth. His head turned in all directions, eyes taking in his surroundings, soon realizing that it was all a dream.

The light outside his door flicked on, and his mother soon entered the room. "Gohan, sweetie, are you okay?" she asked worriedly.

"I-I…" he took a gulp of air and nodded. "I'm fine, Mom. Just a bad dream; nothing to worry about."

"Do you want to talk about it?" asked Chichi.

"No, its okay," he said.

"Are you sure?"

"Mom, it's the middle of the night. You should be in bed; not worrying about me just because I had a little nightmare. Go back to sleep, I'm fine." He watched as his mother reluctantly left the room, closing the door behind her as she shut the hallway lights off. Deciding that he wouldn't be getting anymore sleep that night, the young Saiyan settled for a late night training session. Checking his mother's ki, he made sure that she was back in her room before slipping out of bed and heading to his closet.

Stripping off his sleep wear, Gohan threw on an orange gi, tied on his boots, and jumped out the window. Glancing back at the house to make sure his mother wasn't watching, he floated into the air and flew away.

He landed in a large canyon about ten miles away, the rocks and boulders providing the perfect outlet for his frustrations. Eying a particularly tough looking boulder, he let his fist fly, the stone destroyed with a satisfying crash.

Throughout the rest of the night, loud crashes and explosions could be heard coming from the canyon as the tiny Saiyan laid waste to the surrounding environment. As dawn neared, the loud noise came to a halt, and Gohan sat himself on a plateau to meditate. And when the sun was high in the sky, he finally got up and flew back home.

**~~~InHisFather'sFootsteps~~~**

"Where have you been, young man!" cried Chichi, the instant he had stepped through the door.

"I couldn't go back to sleep so I went out to the canyon and trained," Gohan admitted, sitting down at the kitchen table. Chichi sighed as she stared down at him, her anger quickly giving way to concern. Since Goku's death, this had been almost a daily ritual. He'd wake up in the middle night in terror, and then immediately disappear to go out training until mid-morning when he would come back for breakfast and begin his day.

She didn't like him training, especially since there were no threats left to take care of, but she understood why he still felt compelled to do it. He was a Saiyan; it was as simple as that. Albeit he was only half-Saiyan, he was still a descendant of the proud warrior race, and fighting was in his blood. And as much as she hated to admit it, it was a huge part of who her son was. Furthermore, his heritage, his training…it was all Gohan had left of his father. And no matter how much she wanted for him to have a normal life, she wouldn't take it away from him. She _couldn't_; even if she tried.

Sighing once more, she gave him a small smile, reaching her hand over to gently comb through his dark locks. Leaning down, she kissed his forehead and said, "Leave a note next time you go out at night, understand?"

"Yes, Mom," he replied, nodding his head.

"Good," she said, standing up straight. "Now, if you don't mind, could you go get Goten? He was still asleep when I last went in to check on him. When you come back, I'll have breakfast laid out for you, okay?"

"All right." Getting up and out of the chair, Gohan made his way up the stairs to fetch his brother from their room. When he entered the room, Goten was already up, standing up in his crib as he held the wooden bars for support. Upon seeing his older brother, the Saiyan toddler let out a happy laugh and held up his arms to be picked up. Letting out a soft chuckle, Gohan lifted him into his arms, smiling as the little child wrapped his tiny arms around his neck, smacking a wet one onto his cheek.

"Good morning to you too, squirt," grimaced the older boy, wiping away Goten's slobbery kiss. "C'mon, let's go downstairs. Mom is setting out breakfast, and I don't know about you, but I'm starving." The young toddler clapped his hands and laughed once more, as if agreeing with him and Gohan walked them both downstairs.

"Here, I'll take him," said Chichi as he entered, walking over to take the baby from her oldest son. Allowing his mother to hold Goten, Gohan sat down at the table and waited for his breakfast. He didn't have to wait long, as a minute later, Chichi finished laying out his morning feast, signaling for him to dig in. "Eat up," she said. "We're going to Bulma's house in about an hour."

Gohan, who had thrown himself at the food the instant his mother had said it was okay, swallowed his mouthful as he gave the woman a confused look. "Why are we going to see Bulma?" he asked.

"No reason," she replied simply. "We're just going over to visit. We haven't seen them in a few weeks, and we'd all benefit from going anyway. Bulma and I could catch up, you and Vegeta could spar, and Trunks and Goten could play together."

"What about my homework?" he inquired.

"Oh, you're months ahead in your work, so it's all right for you to take a break today," said Chichi, waving her hand dismissively. Truthfully, she just wanted to get Gohan out of the house (or rather out of the woods) to socialize and interact with other people. She hoped that by doing so, he'd be distracted, and even if it were for only a few short hours, he'd hopefully forget the pain that accompanied his father's death.

Gohan's brow furrowed in confusion, perplexed by his mother's behavior. Never before had she been so lenient with him on his work, but he merely shrugged it off, glad just to have a day away from his textbooks. His mother urged him to continue eating and he smiled before returning to his food.

Several minutes later, every plate and bowl on the table had been cleaned and polished, their contents taken and devoured by the ever hungry Saiyan. Placing his chopsticks down, Gohan let out a contented sigh and patted his stomach appreciatively. "That was delicious," he said, giving his mother a happy grin. "Thanks for breakfast, Mom!"

"It was no trouble at all, dear," replied Chichi, as she stacked the dozen or so plates on the table. "Why don't you play with Goten or something until I'm done with these dishes? When I'm finished, it'll only take a few minutes for me to change, and then we can go ahead and leave."

"Would you like me to get Goten's bag ready?" he asked.

"Oh, could you?" asked his mother, as she began washing the dishes. "I'd really appreciate that."

"Okay," said Gohan, standing up. Picking up Goten from his baby stool, he made his way back upstairs to their room and set the child back down into his crib. "You stay put while I get everything ready. Got it?"

Turning away from the crib, he walked into the closet and pulled out Goten's baby bag. Placing it on the desk, he went about the room, gathering up supplies and other necessary items for his brother. When he had everything he needed, he neatly placed the items in the bag and closed it up. "All done," he said, walking back to the crib.

Goten clapped his hands and reached up to be held, Gohan reaching down to fulfill his wants. The baby Saiyan giggled and latched onto the older boy's neck, laying his tiny head on his brother's shoulder. Gohan smiled gently and went over to pick up the bag, continuing to hold Goten with the other. Walking downstairs, he set the bag by the door before sitting down on the couch with Goten still in his arms, who was now peacefully asleep.

"Oh, you two look so cute together!" gushed Chichi, as she walked into the room, having just finished the dishes. "Well, I'll be just a minute, okay Gohan? I just need to change and then I'll be ready." Leaving her sons, she went into her room to change.

Deciding that he should get everything ready to go, Gohan slowly stood up, grabbed the bag, and walked outside. Lowering the bag to the ground once more, he shouted out, "NIMBUS!"

Goten looked up from his shoulder, giving him a puzzled look? Unable to understand words, it all sounded like a garbled mess to him, and he didn't understand why his brother had yelled all of a sudden. His cheeks puffed up, and he frowned, not liking having been disturbed while resting. Gohan just looked down at him and smiled, waiting for the ever faithful cloud to appear.

And appear it did, flying into sight from the surrounding mountains, a yellow-orange line trailing behind it, which soon evaporated into thin air. Immediately, Goten's moody manner was lifted, excited to see the oddly colored cloud. He didn't know exactly what it was, but from past experiences, it offered a thrilling ride through the air, something which he greatly enjoyed. Instantly, he was reaching out for Nimbus, and seeing his brother's excited demeanor, Gohan sat him down on top of it.

"Be careful, Nimbus," he warned, as the golden cloud flew around in circles, giving the baby a joy ride as they waited for Chichi. Heeding Gohan's warning, the cloud flew at a slower pace and much closer to the ground.

"All right, I'm ready," said Chichi, walking out the door. "Hello, Nimbus," she said, patting the cloud affectionately, which had halted its movements for her to get on. Picking up Goten, Gohan helped his mother climb on and let her settle down before handing Goten back to her, as well as his baby bag.

"I packed a dozen diapers, his bottle, his pacifier, a capsule of baby food, his stuffed monkey, and a change of clothes in case of an accident," said Gohan. "Did I forget anything?"

"Nope, you got everything and more," she answered. "Thank you, sweetie."

"No problem," he answered. "Well, Nimbus, we're going to Capsule Corp. okay? Just follow me." Making sure his mother and brother were safely seated and secure, he floated into the air and flew towards the city, his family trailing behind on the magic cloud.

**~~~InHisFather'sFootsteps~~~**

"This is pathetic," scoffed Vegeta, crossing his arms in front of his chest as he leaned against the wall. "We've been here for hours!"

"I feel your pain," replied Gohan miserably, sitting down on a chair. After arriving at Capsule Corp. the two women had decided to go shopping at the new mall in Satan city, dragging the two Saiyans along for the ride. Trunks and Goten were fortunate enough to be left behind in the care of Mrs. Briefs, but being the big strong men that they were, Vegeta and Gohan had been forced to come to carry their bags.

"We could've been training this entire time!" Vegeta exclaimed angrily. "But no! These women had to come along and force us to go shopping with them."

"I know my Mom threatened to give me more homework, but what did Bulma say that she would do to you?" inquired Gohan.

"She threatened to lock down the GR and force me to eat her cooking for a week," said Vegeta distastefully.

Gohan cringed; that was pretty serious. The GR not so much, considering that Vegeta could simply come over to his house and train with him, but being forced to eat Bulma's cooking? He shuddered at the mere thought of it. Sighing, he looked around the department store for something to do. Spotting a large window on the other side of the store, he left Vegeta behind to look outside.

On the third floor of the mall, he had a good view of the city and a great vantage point of the street below. Staring down, he watched as the citizens of Satan City went about their daily lives, for a moment wishing that he was one of them. But then he shook his head, clearing his mind of such thought. Often, he wondered what life would have been like if he had been born as a normal human, but he knew that in his heart, he wouldn't trade his heritage for the world.

Suddenly, the peaceful streets below broke out into chaos as gunshots were heard and he zeroed in on the source of the noise. His eyes landed on the national bank across the street where dozens of people were fleeing from as a group of darkly dressed men entered. More gunshots were heard and no more people left the bank.

"What are you looking at, brat?" inquired Vegeta, coming to stand beside him.

"Vegeta, there's a bank robbery going on across the street!" cried Gohan, his eyes never leaving the building.

"Let the human authorities take care of it," replied the prince, uninterested.

"We have to do something, Vegeta! Someone might get hurt!"

"Forget about it. The police have it under control," answered Vegeta. "C'mon, let's go to the food court."

"First off, the police aren't t even there yet! Secondly, how can you think about your stomach when innocent lives are at stake?" asked Gohan angrily. Vegeta merely shrugged and the boy shook his head in annoyance. "Fine, I'll do it myself!"

Pushing past the Saiyan prince, Gohan rushed to the stairwell. Seeing that no one was around, he skipped the stairs all together, choosing instead to simply jump over the ledge and fall down the three levels, softening the blow with is ki. Rushing to the nearest exit, he pushed through the doors and out into the streets.

By the time he had gotten outside, the robbers were already loading everything into their get-away car, one of the thieves keeping his machine gun aimed at the people still inside the bank, deterring any do-gooders trying act like a hero. Growling softly, he ran across the street, weaving his way past them towards the one with the gun. Leaping into the air, he jump kicked him out of the way, sending him crashing to the floor.

"What the—you brat!" shouted the robber, picking up his gun from where it had fallen. Aiming it at Gohan, he sneered and said, "Who do you think you are; a superhero? Get out of here or else!"

"Or else _what_?" asked Gohan, crossing his arms.

"Or else I'll shoot you!"

"I'd like to see you try," he scoffed. _**BANG!**_ A bullet tore into the ground at his feet, but he did not flinch, merely raising a questioning eyebrow instead. "Either you have bad eyesight or your aim is off," Gohan commented dryly.

"That was on purpose, you stupid kid!" he shouted back. Beside him, his partners had finished loading the truck and were urging for him to get in. "C'mon, forget the kid!" said the driver. "The police will be here any second! I can already hear the sirens!"

"Fine!" Getting up from off the ground, the robber gave Gohan one last, angry look before running towards the vehicle. But just as he was about to open the door, a hand placed itself on his shoulder and he was whirled around, pain shooting throughout his face as he was punched in the jaw.

Despite his pain, he was still able to stand, and he looked around for his attacker. "YOU?" he cried, looking down at Gohan. "I let you live and this is how you repay me!" Shaking his head, he took his gun and placed it on Gohan's forehead. "Hasta la vista, kiddo!"

Pulling the trigger, he expected blood and brains to splatter everywhere, but all he got was a loud bang and a frown from the boy. Eyes widening in shock, he drew the gun back, the bullet—now flat and shaped like a coin—falling to the ground with a clatter. In the truck, the other robbers' jaws had dropped in disbelief; this boy had just survived a point blank shot to the head!

"Ow," said Gohan mockingly.

"Wh-wha…how!" cried the shooter. "You…you should be dead!"

"Looks like your little toy doesn't work on me," said the Saiyan, smirking. Taking the gun out of the man's hand, Gohan crushed it in between his hands, rolling it into the shape of a ball before nonchalantly tossing it aside.

Shaking in fear, the robber ran past him and practically threw himself into the truck. "Drive!" he ordered.

Pushing the pedal to the metal, the robbers drove off, the faint smell of burning rubber left behind. Just as they had left, police cars rounded the corner of the boulevard, zooming past as they went in pursuit of the car. A few ambulances and a few cop cars screeched to a halt in front of the bank, police officers and medics rushing out of their vehicles to check on the people still inside the bank. Deciding that he wasn't needed there anymore, he disappeared and reappeared on top of a nearby building, looking around for the bank robbers' vehicle.

Spotting them in the next street over with the police still in pursuit, he decided to intervene once more. Leaping off the building, he flew to the end of the street and landed, waiting for them to drive by. Around him, people were running to safety, getting off the street and sidewalk as fast as they could. He paid no heed to them, though he noticed a dark haired girl trip and fall in the middle of the street as she was crossing it.

"Hey, get up!" he shouted, but she only sat there, holding her knee, which he could see was bleeding profusely. "C'mon, girl! Get out of the street!"

"I want my daddy!" she cried, sniffling, still rooted to her spot in the street.

"Get up!" he urged. Behind her, the robbers' truck and pursuing police were getting ever closer, and no one was running over to help her. Realizing that she had no time left to get up and out of the way, he used his incredible speed to run to her side. The robbers honked for them to get out of the way, and Gohan tried to get the girl out of the street, but she refused to stand up, now too frightened to move. With no other choice, Gohan threw himself over her body protectively, holding her head tightly to his chest.

Closing his eyes, he heard the truck screech, and he let out a soft groan as it collided with his tiny frame. However, he stood firm and did not move; instead, the truck flipped up into the air and over them, landing on its top before skidding to a halt. Around him, he could hear the police cars shriek as they braked hard, swerving to avoid the two still in the road. Doors opened and slammed shut, footsteps coming in loudly behind them, but he kept his eyes firmly shut, still holding to the girl tightly.

"Are okay, son?" asked a gentle voice, a soft hand placing itself on his shoulder.

Finally opening his eyes, Gohan looked up at the officer and nodded his head. "Yeah, I'm okay," he replied, letting go of the girl.

"That was quite brave what you did, protecting her," said the officer, pointing at the girl, who still clung to Gohan, her head buried into his chest, despite the fact that he had already let go. "How did you survive? I swear I saw that truck hit you!"

"Umm…we were lucky," he lied. "They were going so fast and they hit a bump in the road, which sent them flying right over us. It was close, so it must've looked like I was hit, but I wasn't."

"Well, I'm going to get an ambulance and have a medic look you over anyway," said the policeman. "Stay here. Why don't you work on getting her to let go of you, okay?" Walking away, the officer went off to call an ambulance for the two.

Looking at the wreckage, Gohan let out a low whistle. "You got lucky," he said to the girl. "That could have been you!" The girl sniffed and clung to him tighter, and he rubbed the back of his head shyly. "Uh…can you let go of me now? The danger is gone."

Reluctantly, she let go of him, though she stood much closer to him than a normal person would. "Th-thank you," she said timidly, staring down as she rubbed the tears from her eyes.

"Hey look at me and smile!" said Gohan, attempting to cheer her up. Slowly, she raised her head, and the young Saiyan found himself staring into the most beautiful blue eyes he had ever seen. Blushing at the thought, he let out a nervous laugh and said, "You have pretty eyes."

The girl blushed as well, ducking her head in embarrassment as she let out a small, "Thanks." A minute of awkward silence went by before she spoke again. "What's your name?" she asked.

"My name?" he repeated. "Oh, I'm Go—"

"Sweet Pea!" shouted a gruff voice, and the girl immediately perked up. Immediately, she had run off, rushing into the arms of a big, muscular man with an out-of-style afro. Deciding that the girl was safe and that his job there was done, Gohan snuck off into an alleyway and ran back to the mall.

When he finally arrived, he made his way towards the food court, where he knew Vegeta would be. He passed his mother and Bulma on the way there, the two women smiling and reminding him to meet them back at the entrance at four o' clock. Glad that they didn't suspect anything, he nodded his agreement ad went back to looking for Vegeta.

"So, you get the bad guys?" asked Vegeta his mouth full of food as Gohan sat down.

"Yeah, it was easy," replied Gohan. "Kind of boring…not that much action."

"Told you," said the prince, shoving a hot dog into his mouth. "You should've just let the humans take care of it." Guzzling down a liter of coke, he wiped his mouth and picked up another plate. "Here, I saved you a French fry."

Gohan stared at the offered fry and shook his head. Taking the fry, he popped it into his mouth and got up to buy his own food.

**~~~InHisFather'sFootsteps~~~**

And that's chapter 2! I hope you're enjoying the story so far; the next chapter should be up either tomorrow or the following day. And please, pleaaaaaase **review**! They make me happy ^_^


	3. A Year in a Day

Hey everyone! Thanks for all the reviews; I'm really glad you're all enjoying the story so far!

**Chapter 3: A Year in a Day**

"_In recent news, authorities are still searching for the mysterious child savior of Satan City National Bank, who not only single-handedly defeated the robbers, but saved the life of Satan Videl, our hero Hercule's beloved ten-year old daughter. Mr. Satan himself is involved in the search, hoping to personally thank the boy that saved his daughter's life," stated the reporter. "Now to Ken, who is live with Hercule for an interview."_

_"Thank you Sora," replied Ken, nodding at the screen. "We're here with Mr. Satan at his Satan City residence, hoping to find out more about his search for the boy. Mr. Satan, why are you so adamant in finding this child?"_

_"Well, he saved my daughter's life!" answered the World Champion. "Videl is the only family I've got left, and—"_

With a tired sigh, Gohan turned off the TV, absentmindedly stroking his hair. He frowned as he fingered the now short spikes, his hand brushing away the lone bang that adorned his forehead. After coming home from the mall the other day, he and his family had stayed over for dinner, and they had all gotten the shock of their lives when they had sat down to eat dessert and watch the news. Apparently, everyone was searching for Gohan, and an almost perfect sketch of him had been drawn with the help of witnesses.

Immediately, Chichi had dragged him into the bathroom, and with a borrowed pair of scissors, cut away the majority of his hair. He grimaced at the memory, as it would definitely not be one of his fondest. The entire time she was cutting, she had berated him on using his powers in public like that, and had grounded him for a month. He wouldn't be allowed to spar with Vegeta, and his homework load had been doubled, but he was just glad that was still allowed to train.

"Well, you're up early," said his mother, coming downstairs from her bedroom. "Couldn't sleep again?"

Gohan nodded and sighed once more. The nightmares were becoming more and more frequent, and he knew that if didn't do anything about it soon, he might just lose his mind. Because of this he was up, having thought of an idea to subdue his growing fears. It had been about a year since the Cell Games, and while he had kept up with his training, he had done little to perfect his Super Saiyan 2 form, as he had done for its precursor level. In fact, he had done everything in his power to keep himself from ascending, too afraid of losing control. But now, he knew he had to do something about it, and he wouldn't stop until he had full control of his Super Saiyan 2 powers.

"Mom, I need to talk to you about something," he said, as she walked into the kitchen to begin breakfast.

Hearing the seriousness in his voice, Chichi walked back into the living room and sat down beside him. "What is it, sweetie?" she asked.

"I need to ask you a favor," he answered. "And before you say no, just hear me out, okay?" She stared at him in confusion, not sure of where this conversation was going, but she nodded her head nonetheless. Continuing on, he said, "I need you to give me the day off so I can train—"

"You train for hours every day! Why do you need a whole day?" screeched Chichi. "You have work to do!"

"I know, I know," he said, motioning for her to calm down. "But I'm going to do some special training today. It's not out in the woods, or with Vegeta in the GR…I'm going to the Lookout to use the Hyperbolic Time Chamber."

"The what?" asked his mother.

"The Hyperbolic Time Chamber," he repeated. "It's what Dad and I used to train for the Cell Games. It's a special room that exists outside of space and time, and one day here is equal to one year there. But that's not the point…well it sort of is…never mind, just let me explain. You know I've been having nightmares since the Cell Games, and I think it's largely due to my fear of losing control over my powers. If I could just learn to fully control it, I think I might be able to finally put the past behind me and not have these dreams anymore. Please let me go; I just need one day or…'year' to do this."

Chichi sat there, mulling over her son's words. Could the answer to his problems really be as simple as training? She didn't quite understand his situation, but if anything helped, she'd be more than willing to go along with it. Nodding her head she said, "Okay Gohan. I trust your judgment, so if you say that this will help, then I believe you. When can I expect you to be back? Tonight?"

"No, when I say a day, I mean a full 24 hours," said Gohan. "I'll be back sometime tomorrow morning, okay?"

Chichi frowned, not liking the idea of him being gone overnight, especially if he were to be alone for such a long period of time "At least take someone with you, like Vegeta or Piccolo. I'm sure that they wouldn't mind training with you," she suggested.

The young Saiyan shook his head 'no' and answered, "This is something that I need to do on my own, Mom."

"But—" she began, only to be interrupted by her son.

"Please, just try and understand where I'm coming from, Mom," he begged, his eyes silently pleading with her own.

Unable to resist the infamous Son puppy dog look, Chichi felt her resolve crumble and she sighed in resignation. "Fine, you can go alone, but you are to come home the _instant_ you get out of the chamber, or whatever it is you're going into. Understand?"

Gohan lit up happily and vigorously nodded his head in agreement, reaching over to pull her into a bone-crushing hug. "Thank you so much, Mom!" he cried. "You don't know how much this means to me!"

"Yes, well, I can't just let you be unhappy for the rest of your life," said his mother. "If this is what you _really_ need to move on, then I'm not going to stop you." Smiling, she ruffled his hair and continued, "Now, how about some breakfast before you go?"

Gohan could only grin and shake his head enthusiastically. "Yes, please!" he exclaimed, getting up to follow his mother to the kitchen.

**~~~InHisFather'sFootsteps~~~**

"Are you _sure_ that you want to go in there alone?" asked Piccolo, for what seemed to be the hundredth time.

"Yes, I'm sure," replied Gohan, rolling his eyes.

"Positive?"

"Positive."

"You know that this is the last time you'll ever be able to go into the chamber, and that by going alone, there's also the possibility of certain negative consequences. That's why the rules say that two people need to go in, to balance out—"

"I _know_ what the rules say," interjected the Saiyan. "I'll be fine, okay? You don't need to baby sit me anymore, Piccolo. I'm not the scared little boy I used to be."

Piccolo peered down at him through narrowed eyes and smirked. "From where I stand, you still look pretty little to me."

"That's because you're a seven foot tall alien!" retorted Gohan. "I'm going alone and that's final!"

"Fine, have it your way kid," said the Namekian, finally giving in. "Dende, let him into the chamber. I can't convince him not to go or to take someone else."

"Are you sure about this Gohan?" asked Dende, grabbing the door's handle.

"Not you too, Dende!"

"Sorry," grinned the green boy, opening the door. "Well, if there's no other way to convince you…" Gohan glared at him lightly and the younger Namekian shrugged. "All right then, good luck!"

"Last chance to let me come with you," said Piccolo as Gohan walked into the chamber.

Gohan shook his head and waved his hand dismissively. "You're such a mother-hen, Piccolo!" was the last thing they heard before the doors closed shut behind him.

**~~~InHisFather'sFootsteps~~~**

"Four-hundred-thousand-nine-hundred-ninety-eight…four-hundred-thousand-nine-hundred-ninety-nine…five-hundred-thousand!" Finishing his last pushup, Gohan—only slightly tired from his exercises—effortlessly got up from the ground to stretch. Shaking his arms to rid his muscles of their tightness, he walked towards his "apartment", which was inside a small building at the entrance of the chamber. Strolling into the kitchen/dining area, he looked around for something to drink. Grabbing an empty glass and pitch of water, the Saiyan filled his cup and greedily drained it of its contents.

"Ah, that hits the spot!" he proclaimed, having quenched his thirst. Setting the glass down, he walked to the refrigerator to find something to eat. He smiled happily as he saw it fully stocked with food and drink, reaching in to grab as many things as he could. He didn't know how it worked, but no matter how much food he took, the next time he opened the fridge, a full supply of groceries was there. He didn't question it—he was really just glad to have something to eat—and he passed it off as another mysterious power of the room.

Placing the pile of food on the dining table, Gohan silently thanked whomever or whatever kept his food supply fully stocked and dug in. As he tore into a drumstick, he caught his reflection in the pitcher's water. His eyes were a bright teal, his golden spikes tall and sharp looking, one lone bang hanging lazily over his face. As he and his father had done for their Super Saiyan forms, Gohan was training himself to hold the second Super Saiyan form for as long as possible. He had been in the chamber for about six months already (according to the hourglass), and with constant training, he was now able to hold it for as long as he wanted with little to none (negative) consequences.

In spite of this, Gohan knew that he still did not have one hundred percent control of his powers, and it was aggravating him to no end. It didn't happen very often, but there were still traces of his arrogant and cocky side left, and until he could finally quiet these proud and egotistical thoughts and behavior, he would not stop training. But he still thought that he was making great progress, and with another six months to go, he knew that he still had plenty of time left.

Although he had come into the chamber to learn to control his powers, the continuous and relentless training had done wonders for his skill and he was certain that his power level had shot through the roof since beginning his training. His schedule was rigorous and exhausting, but—in a way—was also very rewarding. His days usually went along the lines of this: wake up and eat breakfast, shadow boxing and morning calisthenics, lunch time, mediation, more shadow boxing, dinner time and then bed. At times he felt lonely and missed his family, but working out usually kept his mind off of that.

Polishing off the rest of his meal, Gohan cleared the table and threw away the trash—which also magically emptied itself. Giving himself a minute to let his stomach settle, the Saiyan walked into the bathroom to wash away the sweat and grime that had accumulated on his face throughout the morning. Splashing cold water onto his still warm face, he sighed contentedly and dried off before going back out to meditate.

Walking out of the apartment and back onto the training floor, Gohan found a comfortable spot on the ground and sat down. Crossing his legs Indian style, he placed his hands on his knees and closed his eyes. As Piccolo had instructed him to do as a young boy, Gohan searched within himself for the source, or rather core, of his power, at first only seeing darkness until he was practically blinded by the bright light that was his inner ki. Slowly but surely, he became accustomed to the brightness and set to work on taming it.

Using ki was more than just raw force and energy; it was a mixture between physical training and spiritual enlightenment. Gohan was abundant in his physical prowess, and he knew that it was his mental and spiritual training that he really needed to work on. As a child, he had had great control over his energy, but after growing up with one battle right after another, somewhere along the way, it had caused an imbalance in his ki. Something had changed his perspective on life, and while he still remained pure and just, seeing the darker side of life had definitely taken a toll on his young mind. And that was the source of his problem; because he was not fully right with himself, he could not have full control of his ki.

Probing through the giant mass of energy, Gohan worked on calling forth his ki, manipulating it to form shapes of various size and power. After about an hour of manipulation, he grew tired of the exercises and switched to a different form of meditation. Inhaling deeply, he began to focus on his thought process and feelings; mindful meditation. At first he felt nothing, his mind still clear from his previous meditation, but soon enough, thoughts and emotions returned to him and he focused his attention on those.

He felt calm and peaceful at the moment, but at the same time, he could feel a deep sense of anger, resentment, and much frustration hidden beneath the surface. Knowing that those emotions were the source of his unrest, he narrowed his focus to just those three feelings. Anger; why did he feel angry? Who was he angry with?

He mentally sighed, knowing the answer to those questions. He was angry with a few people—namely the numerous villains of his past—but if he really wanted to be honest with himself, it was he himself with whom most of his anger resided. But why? He knew the answer to that one too

His whole life he had been weak, nothing more than a scared child. He was always in need of saving; and at what cost? His friends and family had given up their lives to protect him, to save him from his own mistakes. And when he had finally gotten the power to save them, to return the favor, he had _failed_ them. He had been strong enough to destroy Cell the instant he'd become a Super Saiyan 2, but instead of finishing him off, he had let the power get to his head and allowed his ego to take over. That had led to his father stepping in, once more, to fix his fault and pay with his life.

**'You're pathetic; you were too weak to deal with Cell by yourself so Daddy had to step in save you! If it were me, I'd have dealt the finishing blow in seconds! But no! You are cocky and arrogant, even when you have no right to be…you weakling!'**

Damn. That stupid voice had returned. _'Shut up!'_ he retorted, attempting to tune out the voice. _'I'm not listening to you anymore!'_ He needed to make a stand for himself. He was his own worst enemy and if he didn't stand up for himself, who would? His father? Not anymore.

**'Ha! You have no choice! I'm a part of you and no matter how hard you try to ignore me, I'll always be there!'** it replied, and Gohan knew that if he could see its face, it'd be smirking haughtily at him. **'Where do you think all your power comes from? It comes from me! You are **_**nothing**_** without me!'**

_'Shut up!'_ he cried once more, fists clenching to white. The voice laughed and Gohan let out an angry roar. "SHUT UP!" he shouted, clutching his head in between his hands. His chest heaved as he inhaled and exhaled rapidly, attempting to calm down. It was happening again; he was letting his emotions get control of him.

_'Aww am I making you upset?'_ taunted the voice.

"I hate you!" shouted Gohan. "Go away! Leave me alone! I don't know who you are, but you were never there before! I don't need you; I've never needed you!" Struggling to his feet, the young Saiyan let out blood curdling shriek of rage, his head raised to the heavens as he cried out his frustrations, a golden flame emitting itself from his body as he released a torrent of ki.

Around him, the room began to quake and shake and beside him, the wall began to warp until a large hole appeared, and the Lookout could be seen on the outside. Unaware of what was going on, Gohan continued to expend his energy, crying out for all the world to hear.

"What's going on?" shouted Piccolo, rushing from his room. Dende and Mr. Popo wobbled to and fro, attempting to gain their footing as the Lookout shook. His eyes widened as he suddenly felt a huge spike in ki, shocked as he realized whose it was. "Do you feel that?" he asked.

"That's Gohan's ki," said Dende, holding onto a palm tree for support.

"Yes, but why are we feeling it?" questioned Piccolo. "He's in a completely different dimension! We shouldn't be able to sense it!"

"Look! There's a tear in the dimension," said Mr. Popo, spotting the hole Gohan's power had created.

"I can see Gohan!" cried Dende. "He looks angry; I think he might be the one doing this!"

"But how?" wondered the older Namekian, as he watched Gohan through the tear. "I knew Gohan was strong, but you have to be extremely powerful to be able to rip a tear in the dimension."

"It doesn't matter, we have to stop him before the hole gets too big to repair!" said Mr. Popo.

Piccolo nodded his head and slowly struggled to the hole. "Gohan!" he shouted, attempting to get the Saiyan's attention. "Gohan, listen to me! You have to stop this! You've torn a hole in the dimension, and it might be irreparable if it gets any bigger! GOHAN!"

Up in Otherworld, Goku's eyes shot open and he pushed himself off from the floor where he had been enjoying an afternoon nap. His head whipped in every direction, his brow furrowed in concentration as he searched for the ki he had felt spike just moments ago. "King Kai, do you feel that?" he asked, approaching the blue man.

"Who doesn't?" replied the Kai, frowning.

"It feels like Gohan," said Goku, confused. "But I shouldn't be able to sense him from all the way from up here…"

Closing his eyes, King Kai focused on the ki and shook his head. "It's Gohan all right, and he's tearing a wall in the dimension."

"What? Is that even possible?" asked the Saiyan, shocked to say the least.

"It's definitely possible, seeing as your son is doing it right this moment," answered King Kai. "But one would have to have an enormous amount of energy to do so."

"Wow, go Gohan!" smiled Goku, proud that his kid was strong enough to rip apart a dimension.

"_**No**_, don't go Gohan!" corrected the Kai, glaring at the Saiyan. "If he keeps this up, the hole might become permanent and a tear in the dimension could lead to disastrous consequences!"

"Oh…" said Goku, scratching his head embarrassedly. "What's going on anyway? Why is he doing this?"

"He's not doing it on _purpose_," said King Kai, frowning. "He's under a tremendous amount of stress right now, and I think it's safe to assume that he's lost control of himself."

"What's wrong with him?" Goku asked, suddenly very worried about his son. "Is he in danger? Is the Earth under attack?"

"No. It seems…it seems that your death has had a greater effect on him than any of us would have predicted," replied the blue man. "It's…heart breaking to watch this."

"Show me," said Goku, closing his eyes as he placed his hand on the Kai's shoulder. Instantly he was bombarded with the image of his son, screaming angrily as his power laid waste to the Hyperbolic Time Chamber and the Lookout on the other side. He could see Piccolo through the tear, shouting at Gohan to stop, but the young Saiyan paid him no heed.

"He's going to hurt himself if he keeps this up!" cried Goku, his grip on the Kai's shoulder unconsciously tightening.

"And you're going to hurt _me_ if you keep _that_ up!" whined King Kai, and Goku immediately loosed his grip, muttering a soft apology.

"Can I talk to him?" asked the Saiyan.

"Go ahead, I've just established a connection," said the Kai.

"Thanks King Kai," said Goku, smiling. "Gohan! Son, can you hear me?"

Down in the chamber, Gohan continued his power up—unaware of his father—still screaming at the voice inside of his head. "This is my power, not yours!" he cried, his power leveling off for a moment. "I've trained my entire life, given up my childhood, given up everything to achieve this power! I am where I am today because of hard work and dedication, not because some stupid voice gave it to me!"

"Who is he talking to?" Goku inquired, confused by what was happening.

"He's fighting his inner demons, Goku," replied King Kai. "He's struggling to overcome his fears, trying to gain control of his great power."

Back with Gohan, the young Saiyan spread his legs, bent at the knee as his hands balled into fists once more. "I'm stronger than you, you stupid voice! I'll prove it to you that this is my power!" Letting out a terrifying cry, he was once again engulfed in the golden flames of his Super Saiyan power, the flame steadily growing larger and larger as his power level continued to ascend. The tiled floor cracked below him, and soon Gohan found himself in a mini crater as the ground underneath him collapsed, broken tiles floating around him, held up by his ki.

Gohan closed his eyes as he felt himself reach his limit, finding himself at a barrier, unable to push through. He shook his head and attempted to smash through; he couldn't stop there, he needed to be stronger. He mentally growled, frustrated. He knew that he had more power than that; he could sense it. It was like trying to break through a glass roof; he could see what was outside, he could see his power, but that damn roof was in his way.

**'Ha! Is this it?'** taunted the voice, laughing at his struggle. **'I told you, you're nothing without me. That power is mine and you can't have it unless I let you.'**

_'No!'_ thought Gohan, as he desperately fought to break the barrier. '_It can't end like this! That's my power! You can't keep it from me! I need it! I need it to protect my family, my friends…the people of Earth!'_ His eyes snapped open as he finally realized what he needed to do. _'My father left me as this planet's protector, to defend it from all threats, foreign or domestic! And you…__**you**__ are a threat! You keep me from fulfilling my duty, and I won't let that happen anymore!'_

Feeling for the barrier, Gohan gathered all of his ki, preparing to break through with one, final attempt. With a mighty war cry, he released his energy, and after a brief struggle, the barrier shattered. Suddenly, a flood of ki rushed throughout him and his body was engulfed in a blinding burst of light.

When the light finally receded, Gohan slowly looked down at his hands, flexing his fingers, as if testing to see if this was truly real or just a dream. He felt…different, like something had changed in him. But before he could even begin to figure out what had happened, a sudden exhaustion took a hold of him, and he fell to his knees, reverting back to his normal, black-haired self.

"King Kai, was that…did Gohan just…I mean, I didn't think that another level—" began Goku, as he and the blue man watched from the heavens.

"Dad?" asked Gohan, standing back up, despite his fatigue. "Is that you Dad?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, there's still a connection," laughed Goku, having forgotten that he could speak with his son. "Hey, Gohan!"

"What…I mean…hi?" stuttered his son, startled by his father's sudden appearance.

"You had me worried there for a second, son," said the older Saiyan, letting out a relieved chuckle. "I mean, look at poor Piccolo! You nearly gave the guy a heart attack!"

Blinking in surprise, Gohan finally noticed his mentor through the tear, a shocked expression on the Namekian's face. His head tilted to the side in confusion; how come he was able to see through to the Lookout. As if reading the boy's mind, Piccolo broke out of his stupor and answered, "Your little tantrum ripped a hole in the dimension."

The Saiyan sweat dropped at his words, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "Oops, I guess I don't know my own strength," said Gohan, grinning.

"Yeah, trust me, you don't," said Piccolo, remembering what had transpired only moments ago. "You are…._a lot _more powerful than previously thought. Well, we'll talk when you get out. For now, he's all yours Goku." And with that said, Piccolo stepped away from hole, which repaired itself and closed seconds later.

"What does he mean by I'm more powerful than previously thought?" asked Gohan. "I mean, I know that I'm stronger now that I have all of my power under control, but he said it as if I'd turned Super Saiyan 2 for the first time."

"Well, I wouldn't say Super Saiyan _2_…" said Goku, letting out a soft laugh.

"What's that supposed to mean?" questioned his son.

"Well, let's just say that it means Vegeta is going to be so jealous of you when you get out, that he'll lock himself in the GR for about a month."

The next day, Gohan emerged from the chamber exhausted. Exhausted, but feeling more powerful than he ever had his entire life. Piccolo greeted him and led him to the kitchen, where Mr. Popo had laid out for him a feast fit for any growing Saiyan boy. Gratefully, the child dug into his meal, stopping only to chew and answer any questions the three had for him.

Down below on Earth, Vegeta's eyes widened in surprise as he sensed Gohan's ki. The day before, the boy's ki had suddenly vanished, but he had paid little heed to it. Today, Gohan had suddenly re-emerged from wherever he had gone to, his power level double; maybe even triple what it had been before he had left. His jaw dropped in disbelief, dumbfounded by the boy's sudden increase in power. How had this happened!

Shaking his head, the Saiyan Prince let out a soft growl before barking out orders to the GR machine. "Eight hundred times Earth's Gravity!"

**~~~InHisFather'sFootsteps~~~**

Sorry this chapter was a bit shorter than the previous two, but I still hope you liked it! The next chapter should be up sometime this weekend, as I'm still writing it, but fear not, it will be posted soon! As always, please review!

Swoofie~3


	4. An Unexpected Offer

Wooow! Sorry for the super long wait on this chapter guys. I'd given up on writing this, but I was hit with sudden inspiration, and well, here it is! Hopefully the next chapter doesn't take months to appear.

~~~InHisFather'sFootsteps~~~

**Chapter 4: An Unexpected Offer**

"Make sure to be home before dark," called Chichi as Gohan walked out the door. The Saiyan nodded his head and gave his mother a grin and a small salute goodbye before taking off into the horizon. Three years had passed since the Cell Games, and the now twelve-year-old was currently on his way to Vegeta's for an afternoon of sparring.

Flying over one the many lakes that surrounded the 431 Mountain District, he stared down at his reflection. While he was still a child, he had definitely grown over the past few years. He had grown a few inches taller, and he had lost quite a bit of his baby fat; his hair was still what it had been when his mother cut it all those years ago, her fear that he'd be recognized even now still present. He didn't mind though. After going through so many different hairstyles as a child, it was nice sticking to just one style. Plus he liked the way it spiked up so sharply; secretly he liked how Saiyan-like it looked. Smiling at his image, Gohan grinned and gave himself a thumb up before racing off at top speed.

Minutes later, the tall skyscrapers of West City came into view and only a moment later, the Saiyan was touching down on the Brief's front lawn. Ringing the doorbell, the boy only had to wait a second before the door opened to reveal an ecstatic Trunks. The four year old let out a happy cry before launching himself at the older boy, his arms latching around Gohan's waist as he embraced him in a hug.

"Gohan!" the child exclaimed happily, stepping back to let him in. "Are you here to play with me? Is Goten with you? He said that he'd come over and play the other day! Why isn't he here?" He shot off question after question, never giving Gohan a chance to answer, until finally, the older Saiyan could no longer remember what he was trying to answer.

Letting out a soft chuckle, Gohan motioned for Trunks to calm down and spoke, "Sorry little guy, but I'm here to spar with your dad, not to play."

"Aww…" the boy pouted.

The child seemed to deflate at his words, and he bit his lip, willing the guilty thoughts to disappear from his mind. Sighing, he ruffled Trunks' lavender locks and said, "How about the next time I come over, I'll bring Goten with me and the three of us could play together. How does that sound?"

"That sounds awesome!" shouted Trunks, perking up immediately.

"Good. Now, can you tell me where your dad is? Is he in the GR?"

"Yeah, he's training right now," explained the boy. "I'm not allowed in the room…Mom says I'll be crushed if I go in. But I don't get it, how come Dad can go in and not me? He hasn't been crushed, so why would I?"

Gohan shook his head as he laughed at young Trunks' inquisitive mind, playfully rolling his eyes as he left the boy in search of his father. Walking through the many halls of Capsule Corp, the young Saiyan followed the familiar path to the GR, only to find Vegeta beating the living daylights out of a training robot. He waited for the older male to blast the machine to smithereens before announcing his presence, mock clapping for the prince as he entered the training room.

"Very good, Vegeta! You're definitely getting stronger," teased Gohan.

"Shut it, brat!" grunted Vegeta, letting out an annoyed "humph!" Since Gohan's return from the Time Chamber all those years ago, he had, as Goku predicted, been insanely jealous of the hybrid child. Of course, he'd never say that out loud.

"Oh don't be like that, Vegeta," said Gohan, stretching his limbs as he prepared for their spar. Cracking his neck, he distanced himself from the Saiyan prince and stepped into a defensive stance, his legs spread apart and his arms held protectively in front of his body. "I'm ready when you are," he stated.

"Bring it," retorted Vegeta, launching himself at the boy. He reared his fist back, his sights zeroed in on Gohan as he prepared to smash his fist into the younger Saiyan's jaw. His arm shot forward, and he frowned as Goku's son merely side stepped it. Growling softly, he fired a barrage of fists at the boy, his frustration growing as Gohan simply evaded the limbs as if it were a game of dodge ball. Jumping into the air, he spun around and delivered a reverse roundhouse kick towards his torso.

Grinning, Gohan blocked it, grabbed onto the leg and spun him around a few times before launching him into the wall. Picking himself up, Vegeta threw a ki blast at the younger Saiyan, phasing behind him while he was distracted. Clasping his hands together, he raised them up before swinging them down hard. He scowled as Gohan disappeared, repapering milliseconds later on the other side of the room. With an angry huff, he smacked away the ki blast, which had still been on its way from a second ago.

"You can do better than this, Vegeta," laughed Gohan, grinning playfully.

Clenching his fists, the older Saiyan ran at the boy, preparing to give him the beating of a lifetime. Only feet away from him, Vegeta phased behind him and attempted to jump kick him, sailing over the boy's head as Gohan ducked beneath the kick. Landing in front of him, he dropped to the ground and spun around, his leg outstretched to trip him. Gohan, anticipating his move, jumped over the limb and kneed Vegeta in the face. The Saiyan muttered a curse as he fell down, wiping the blood from his mouth.

"Damn brat!" he mumbled, jumping to his feet.

He had no time to gather his bearings as Gohan took the offensive, nailing him with an elbow to the chin and a subsequent knee to the stomach. Stumbling backward, Vegeta grimaced as he held his abdomen in pain. Snarling angrily, he pushed past the pain and snapped at him in retaliation, sending a powerful uppercut into the boy's side. Glad to have finally made a hit, he sent another fist at Gohan's cheek, hoping to reproduce the same results.

"Not this time," said Gohan, catching the fist as he held it in an iron grip. Vegeta frowned and threw his other fist at him, only to have that one caught too. Gritting his teeth, his arms shook with effort as he tried to push the child back, only to find himself being the one pushed back. Eyes widening in shock, he bent his knees, trying to halt his movement. His boots skid across the tiles as Gohan continued to push him backwards, his attempts to overpower the younger Saiyan in vain.

A deep growl emitted itself from his throat as he transformed into a Super Saiyan, finally putting a stop to his backward motion. Breaking loose of Gohan's grip, Vegeta threw a punch at him, his anger growing as the boy easily dodged it. He swung fist after fist at the younger Saiyan, only to have them blocked or evaded.

Gohan smirked as he ducked beneath a punch, retaliating with a swift uppercut to the prince's stomach. He followed it up with a knee to the thigh before grabbing Vegeta by the straps of his armor and throwing him to the floor. Allowing him no time to gather his bearings, the Son kicked his body into the air and jack-hammered him back down to the floor. Raising his foot, he brought it down on the older Saiyan's torso.

Vegeta watched as Gohan's boot came crashing down on his chest, wincing in anticipation for the pain that was inevitable to come. But just as Gohan's foot was millimeters from his body, the boy vanished without a trace. Startled by his sudden disappearance, he stood up, his eyes searching for the now missing child.

"Brat?" he asked hesitantly, unsure of what was going on. Was this a new trick of his? Searching for Gohan's ki, his brow furrowed in confusion when he was unable to sense it. What was going on? Whatever it was, he was going to find out. "Gravity off," he said, marching towards the exit. The heavy pressure of the added gravity disappeared and the mechanical door hissed open. Walking through the door and into the hallway, he felt a strange tug and suddenly, everything went black.

~~~InHisFather'sFootsteps~~~

Gohan groaned as he pushed himself off of the ground, dusting off his pants as he stood. Looking around in confusion, he attempted to figure out where he was and how he had gotten there. He was in an open forest, or at least, he thought it was a forest. Standing in the clearing, he was surrounded by an odd assortment of plants and trees, the colors of their leaves far from the familiar green that he was used to seeing.

He rubbed his head, unsure of what was going on. Wasn't he just in the GR fighting Vegeta? How had he gotten here…wherever _here_ was? Before he could even begin to ponder his predicament, he sensed a ki signature coming in from behind and phased away just in time to avoid being pummeled to the ground. Facing his unknown attacker, he gave them a stern glare as he began to gather his ki.

"Who are you? Why did you attack me?" he demanded.

His opponent, a large, red-skinned, four-armed monstrosity merely smirked and charged him once more, its two right arms reared back to strike him. Dodging the punches, he disappeared and reappeared behind him, jump kicking him 20 feet into a large boulder. Crossing his arms, Gohan patiently waited for the creature to pull itself out of the rubble before speaking once more.

"Listen, I don't know who you are, or why we're here, but I don't want to fight you," he said, looking the man over.

"Why? Are you afraid that you'll get hurt?" taunted his enemy, speaking for the first time since meeting.

"No, I'm afraid _you'll_ get hurt," replied the child calmly, waving his hand at him dismissively. "No offense, but you're pretty weak. I mean yeah, you're big, strong, and you have a….decent amount of ki, but the only advantage you have over me is your two extra limbs. And even that isn't enough to defeat me."

"That's some big talk for such a little guy!" growled the four-armed alien, clearly annoyed at being thought weak. "I'm going to blast your scrawny ass to kingdom come!" His arms outstretched, he gathered his ki, a bright purple ball forming, pulsing with power as it grew ever larger.

"You've got to be kidding me," groaned Gohan, rolling his eyes as he sighed. Crossing his arms over his chest once more, he patiently waited for his adversary to release the ball. He didn't have to wait long as a second later the creature unleashed his deadly blast, on a crash course in his direction. Unflinchingly, he stood still and allowed himself to be hit.

The red-skinned alien smirked victoriously as he watched the child be consumed by the blast, no doubt thinking that he had won. But as the smoke cleared, a yellow beam of light emerged, tearing a hole through his shoulder. Eyes widening, he stumbled backwards, clutching to his wound in pain. "What the hell!" he screamed.

"I told you that I didn't want to fight you," said Gohan, lowering his hand. "I told you that you'd get hurt. You didn't listen to me, and look where that got you. I don't want to have to do this, but it looks as if you're out to kill me. I'm going to give you one more chance, understand? You have two choices. One: you can run away and I swear that I will not follow. Two: you can keep on fighting. I'd much rather you pick the first choice, but if you decide to choose the latter, I cannot ensure that you will leave unscathed…or alive for that matter."

"You dirty little monkey!" shouted his opponent angrily. Clenching his fists, he let out a battle cry as his body was engulfed in a dark purple aura. "I am the most powerful warrior from my planet, and I will not be defeated by some Saiyan who doesn't even have his tail!"

His last statement shocked Gohan to say the least. "How do you know that I'm a Saiyan?" he inquired.

"The battle roster specifies age and race of each opponent," said the alien, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Didn't you look through the list before you came here?"

"Came here? I don't even know where _here_ is!" he retorted.

"We're in the Omega Sector of planet—hey, wait a minute! Don't play dumb with me! I know what you're trying to do! You're trying to distract me from the fight! Well tough luck; it's not working!" Balling his four fists, the red alien ran at the boy, swinging his fists left and right as he attempted to beat him to the ground.

Realizing that talking things through was out of the question, Gohan had no choice but to fight back. And as any Saiyan would, he fought to win. Catching one of the fists, he turned around, hauling him over his shoulder and throwing him to the ground. Giving his opponent no chance to react, Gohan effortlessly picked him up and tossed him into a pile of rocks. Floating high into the air, he pointed a single finger at him, a small ball of ki forming there.

"You had your chance to back down," Gohan stated. "I'm through with being merciful. It ends now." He released the mini ki ball, which zoomed off in his enemy's direction.

"That's not going to hurt me," smirked the four-armed alien. But as the miniscule orb made contact with his chest, the smirk was immediately wiped from his face as it exploded. When the smoke finally dissipated, Gohan was greeted with the sight of his fallen opponent, knocked out cold on the floor.

"Too easy," he muttered, landing. The instant his foot touched the ground, the forest around him disappeared, replaced now with large metal walls on all four sides of him. Immediately, he was in a defensive stance, preparing for whatever was to come next.

From the ground materialized a large man, his face covered with an ornate mask, dressed in an elegant black and gold robe and fitted with heavy battle armor. His hair was long and spiky, its color an unusual silver. The young Saiyan eyed him wearily, searching for any signs of hostility. So, it was a huge surprise for him when, instead of being attacked, he was greeted with loud clapping.

"Congratulations, young warrior! You have passed the first round of the Omega Sector's Intergalactic Tournament! I must say, your little display of power has certainly exceeded our expectations, and we look forward to seeing more of what you can do!" he exclaimed.

"Umm…what? Who are you? Where are we?" asked Gohan, relaxing his stance.

"Ah yes, how rude of me…I am Lord Kinomi, regulator of the tournament. As stated earlier, you are in the Omega Sector's Intergalactic Tournament, on the planet Puranto. Every century the strongest fighters from every quadrant of the galaxy gather here to compete for the title of the galaxy's strongest warrior."

"But I never signed up for any tournament," replied Gohan. "I've never even heard of this!"

"You are a Saiyan, correct?" asked Kinomi.

"Um…yes," he answered hesitantly. "Well, I'm half Saiyan, half Human actually."

"A hybrid?" questioned the man, clearly shocked at the statement. "Hmm…well it does not matter. You are still of Saiyan descent, and that is all that matters. You are here because you were chosen to represent the Saiyan race in this tournament. It has been a standing tradition for your people to participate in this competition, but when we heard nothing from them, we assumed it was because they were still recuperating from their defeat by the Cold Family. But because we knew how important this was to your race, the tournament advisors and I searched the galaxy for someone to represent them, and you were chosen."

"Me? Why me?" he asked.

"Of the Saiyans we found still around, you are by far the most powerful," stated Kinomi. "Thus, you'd make the best representative."

"But…how did I even get here? Before I was here, I was back on Earth, fighting my friend Vegeta. How is that I can be in one place, and a second later, be hundreds of millions of miles away?"

"Ah, yes. We of the planet Puranto are considerably weak compared to other races….such as the Saiyans. But we more than make up for our lack of power through our intellectual prowess and overall scientific discoveries. The Omega Sector, this planet's capitol and head research facility, is home to a number of gadgets and machines created by us. One of those mechanisms is the KID, or Ki Identifier Device, which we used to track you down. When a certain ki signature has been found, its exact location is listed in our database and transferred to the teleporter. We can then access that signature and transport it to any location of our choosing."

"Wow, that….that's amazing," said Gohan, wondering just how advanced this planet's technology was.

"Yes, yes it is," replied Kinomi. "Now, shall we continue the tournament?"

"Wait, I-I never signed up for any tournament! You chose me! What if I don't want to fight? What if I just want to go home?" he asked.

"I thought all Saiyans loved to fight," stated Kinomi, perplexed by the boy's unwillingness to battle. "Is not being the strongest warrior what your people strive for? Do they not train to become the most powerful and compete amongst one another to see who is the strongest?"

"Well yes, but-but…" he couldn't find the words to contradict that. It was true, every word of it. But he was not just a Saiyan; he was just as much of a human as he was a Saiyan. He tried to think of his mother, what she would say if he were to not come home that night. No doubt he'd be in a huge amount of trouble. She would want him home, with her and Goten, not gallivanting on the other side of the galaxy in some tournament. That was something his father would have done.

His father. Yes, this certainly would have been something the energetic Saiyan would have signed up for. If only he were still alive…Gohan shook his head to rid himself of the thought, not wanting to have such ideas stuck in his mind. Oh, but Goku would have loved this! And truthfully, he loved the thought of battling against the universe's strongest warriors just as much as his father would have.

He bit his lower lip as he thought his decision over. His father had been quite well known in Earth's surrounding solar system as a great fighter, and since his passing, it had been Gohan's dream to be just like him. This was certainly a chance for him to get himself out there, to get himself known and to make a name for himself. But was he strong enough to win? It didn't matter; he'd fight for the sake of fighting and in the spirit of his father.

"Ok, I'll fight," he finally said. He smiled as Lord Kinomi clapped him on the back and led him out of the room, and into a sort of lounge. He was surprised to see Vegeta sitting there, arms crossed over his chest as he waited not so patiently for someone to see him.

"Greetings, Prince Vegeta," stated Kinomi, bowing low before the Saiyan. "I am sorry to have kept you waiting."

"Who the hell are you?" demanded Vegeta crossly, standing up. "Where are we?"

"Vegeta? What's he doing here?" asked Gohan, confused by the other Saiyan's presence.

"Brat?" asked Vegeta, eying the boy. "What the hell is going on?"

The two turned to Kinomi, who gestured for them to calm down. "Gohan has been chosen to represent the Saiyans in the Omega Sector's Intergalactic Tournament. You were brought here as his second, if he refused to fight, or to fight in his place should he compete and be injured."

"_You_ were chosen to represent the Saiyans?" questioned Vegeta, his brow rising in confusion. "You're not even full-blooded! You're nothing more than a half-breed, a hybrid! Why was he chosen to represent _my_ people when he is not a true Saiyan?"

Vegeta was never one to sugar coat things and what he usually said was blunt and to the point. Gohan had expected a harsh remark from the Prince about being chosen, and he was more than used to his angry attitude, but his words still stung and he couldn't help but feel a little bit hurt. A hybrid he may be, but he was still a Saiyan by blood and it was, in his opinion, wrong of Vegeta to accuse him of not being a true Saiyan.

He raised his head high, a determined gleam in his eye, and said, "I may be a half-breed, but I am still my father's son. Saiyan blood courses through my veins and I will prove to not only you, but everyone else at this tournament, that I am worthy of my heritage."

"Whatever." Vegeta crossed his arms and shrugged.

Seeing that their little spat was over, Kinomi urged the two to follow him. Trailing behind him, the two Saiyans allowed themselves to be led out of the room. Following him through several hallways, the three men stopped before a large, metallic door.

"Through this door is the main arena," explained Kinomi. "Gohan, this is where I leave you. You will check in with the head official, and from there on out, you will randomly be matched with an opponent. Good luck."

"Thank you," said Gohan, bowing.

"Vegeta, if you will please continue to follow me, I'll lead you to the viewing box."

Nodding his head, the prince turned to go with him, but not before saying, "You better win brat. You have the pride of the entire Saiyan race riding on you." Crossing his arms, he allowed Kinomi to lead him away.

Sighing, the younger Saiyan shook his head and turned towards the door. Nervously, he pushed the release button and the mechanic doors opened with a low hiss. Taking a deep breath, he stepped through, where he was blinded by the bright stadium lights and nearly deafened by the roar of the crowd. Blinking a few times, he took a moment to take in his surroundings.

He was in a giant domed arena, probably the size of four or five football stadiums combined, and in the middle of it all was a giant platform, where he guessed the fighting would take place. From the roof hung a giant screen, where video of the first round fights were being shown, and for a split second, he saw a small clip of his fight against the red alien from before.

"Hey you!" shouted a voice.

Breaking out of his stupor, Gohan looked around, searching for the one who had called him. Spotting a man waving him over, he quickly made his way to him. "Yes?" he asked, looking the man over. He was quite young, probably only a few years older than him, with spiky silver hair and an outfit quite similar to Lord Kinomi's; in fact, he looked much like what he assumed the older warrior had looked like as a young adult. In his hand he held a touch screen pad, which he busily entered information into.

"I am Kiyoshi, head official of the Intergalactic Tournament," he said, introducing himself. "Please state your name and race."

"I am Son Gohan, representative of the Saiyan race," answered the boy.

Kiyoshi nearly dropped the pad in shock, managing to catch himself before he did. Straightening himself out, he gave Gohan a bewildered look. "Y-you're a Saiyan?" he asked. "I thought they were all extinct!" Peering at the boy's backside, his head titled to the side quizzically. "And if you're a Saiyan, where's your tail?"

Rubbing the back of his head shyly Gohan answered, "Well, I'm only half-Saiyan to be exact. My father was Saiyan while my mother is Human. As for my tail, well…it was cut off when I was still only a young child."

Quickly pressing a few things on his touchpad, Kiyoshi looked back and forth between his screen and Gohan, as if unsure of what to think. After a minute he sighed and shrugged. "Well, as it turns out, you are in our database, so I can't refute your claim. I've checked you in now, so take a seat over there with the other fighters while we wait for everyone else to show up."

Making his way towards the waiting room, Gohan quickly scanned the competition. Sensing their ki, he grinned, glad when he found several to his liking. Feeling an extremely powerful ki, he looked to the one it came from, eyes narrowing. The alien appeared to be reptilian, and in all honesty, Gohan thought he rather looked like a buffed up dragon on two legs. Although his appearance was not what Gohan was accustomed to, it was the sense of evil emanating from his body rather than his physical appearance that sent red flags up in Gohan's mind.

Sitting down on a bench he made a mental note to watch out for the reptilian before turning back to look at the rest of the fighters. He looked over as he felt the weight on the bench shift, eyes widening comically as he took in the sight before him. Sitting next to him was a giant of a man, probably fifteen or sixteen feet tall, his skin a pasty green color, several tentacles protruding from his back.

"You're…rather small to be a competitor aren't you?" asked the green man, trying to make conversation. "Are you from the Planet Midget?"

Gohan's eyebrows lifted at his comment. There was actually a planet called Planet Midget? Shrugging the thought off, he shook his head and answered, "No, actually I'm a Saiyan."

"Hm, makes sense," the other replied thoughtfully. "I heard that their Prince was like four feet tall."

The young hybrid sweat-dropped at the comment and made another mental note to not let Vegeta know that there were rumors going around the galaxy about his height. After a minute of awkward silence, Gohan looked at the man once more and laughed nervously.

"So…what are _you_?"

~~~InHisFather'sFootsteps~~~

Again, sorry for the wait. As always, please review! They help me stay motivated, which in turns means faster updates! xD


	5. Tournament Time!

So sorry for the long wait! I had writer's block! " But I'm back and hopefully this chapter will make it up to you! On a side note, one of you mentioned that Gohan was 11 when he fought Cell, but a long time ago I read somewhere he was 9 and that just made a lot more sense to me (I'll explain another time, I wana post this up before my parents get home - not supposed to be on!) Lol. Anyway, please **REVIEW!** Reviews are what keep me going and motivate me to write faster!

~~~InHisFather'sFootsteps~~~

**Chapter 5: Tournament Time!**

"Alright, ladies and gentleman, finally it's time for what you've all been waiting for! The preliminaries have ended and the first rounds of the Intergalactic Tournament are about to begin!" shouted the announcer, a seemingly robotic being, as the crowd went wild with excitement. "The set up is basic. We have forty fighters from various planets around the galaxy. There will be twenty fights going on this morning, four at a time. One will be held here, in the main arena, with three others going on in our smaller stadiums. To view these fights, please make your way to our main lobby, where screens have been set up for your viewing purposes!"

Gohan stood on the sidelines, listening the best he could over the roar of the crowd. He looked around, eyes taking in his surrounding, excitement coursing through his veins. He'd never been in a fight like this before. Every fight he'd ever been in before had been one to the death. Frieza, the Androids, Cell. All were fights for his life. This, on the other hand, was a tournament. A chance to test his power and skills among the best fighters the galaxy had to offer. It was finally a chance for him to really shine.

"Now, our fights will be completely random," explained the announcer, continuing his commentary. "The names have been entered into our computer database and they will be matched together at random. If you'd all please look up, we'll find out who our first eight fighters will be."

As one, the announcer, the crowd, and all the contenders looked up towards the roof of the stadium where the screens hung. Names flashed across the screen faster than the normal eye could follow. A few seconds later, four lines appeared, listing the names of the first four fights' competitors. Gohan slumped a little in disappointment when his name did not appear, but he assured himself that he'd still get to fight eventually.

"Our first fighters have been chosen! Those who are listed on lines three to four, please meet with Kiyoshi, the head official, to learn which arena you'll be fighting in. Those listed on line one; please make your way into the ring! You'll be our first main attraction today!"

Two men stepped into the ring and Gohan had to clamp his hands over his ears tightly to keep from going deaf. Stepping back into the waiting room, he opted to watch the fights on one of their screens, where it was much, much quieter.

~~~InHisFather'sFootsteps~~~

"MASENKO-HAAA!"

"PERFECT PUUUNCH!"

A brilliant flash of yellow and orange light illuminated the arena, blinding all within the vicinity. When the light faded, the audience blinked as they struggled to see the outcome of the fight. As their eyes unclouded, a loud roar of excitement burst from the spectators.

"And the young Saiyan, Gohan, has defeated the mighty Sentou, of planet Kukkyuu! He advances to the second round! Let's all let out a big round of applause for our two fighters!" shouted the announcer. If possible, the crowd grew even louder.

"Hey, good job," said Gohan, as he flew down towards his fallen opponent, who lay exhausted in a small crater outside the ring. "That was a great fight," he continued, reaching a hand out to help the man up.

Sentou grabbed the offered hand and allowed himself to be pulled up. He weakly stood on his feet, shakily dusting the dirt from his pants. He was tall, with a bulky, muscular frame, pale ashen skin with spiky light blue hair and white eyes. Gazing at the smiling boy before him, he silently wondered how one so small could hold such great power. He knew that, although he had seemingly come close to beating the child once or twice, the young Saiyan had been greatly holding back.

"It was an honor to fight you, Son Gohan," said Sentou, bowing respectfully. He smiled slightly as the bow was returned. "You are a skilled fighter, with power far beyond anything I have ever seen. I see many great things in your future. You shall go far, young warrior."

"Thanks a lot, Sentou!" beamed Gohan, proud to hear such words from a worthy opponent. "You're an amazing fighter and I'm glad we met." The two combatants shook hands before going their separate ways, Sentou to the medical bay and Gohan back to the fighter's lounge. From there, he watched as the last few fights were finished before everyone was excused to rest and eat before the second round of the tournament began.

~~~InHisFather'sFootsteps~~~

"Fighters, we have rooms set up for you on the third floor with beds and showers for your personal use. All restaurants within the vicinity are free to competitors and are located within the main lobby. Please be back here in four hours to receive instructions on your round two fights. You're dismissed!" shouted Kiyoshi, as the remaining twenty contestants filed out of the room.

Wanting to rest and clean up a bit, Gohan headed towards the third floor in search of a room. The rooms were assigned by race, and quickly finding the door labeled "Saiyan," he opened it and stepped in.

Looking around, he found it to be a pretty basic room. Two beds, a small desk, and a TV were its only furnishings; with a door on the right leading to what he assumed was the bathroom. On one bed lay Vegeta, his arms propped up behind his head, the usual scowl on his face.

"Hey Vegeta," greeted Gohan, sitting down on the other bed. "I'm gonna take a quick shower then head out and grab something to eat. Want to come?"

"Sure, whatever," grunted the older Saiyan. "By the way, I ordered a set of new clothes for you. If you're going to represent the Saiyan race, you sure as hell are going to dress like one. That disgustingly orange gi you wear makes you look like your weakling of a father and is not befitting of a Saiyan warrior. It should be here anytime soon."

Just as he said that, a light knocking was heard at their door. Opening it, Gohan looked down to see a service droid, a pair of Saiyan armor folded neatly in its robotic arms. Taking the clothes, he closed the door and walked into the bathroom to take his shower.

About ten minutes later, Gohan emerged from the bathroom, looking down at his clothes. "Hey, I look pretty good!" he exclaimed cheerfully. He wore a black, short sleeved spandex shirt, with black and green Saiyan armor, and black spandex pants. Instead of the typical white gloves and boots, he had dark red wristbands which covered the majority of his forearm, and matching leg bands, which went over his black and green boots.

Vegeta, who had fallen into a light sleep, cracked open an eye and looked over. "You actually look like a Saiyan," he said gruffly. If Gohan didn't know any better, he swore he could hear a hint of pride in the prince's voice.

"I think I like this more than the ones you wear!" said the younger Saiyan, still looking himself over.

"Your grandfather, Bardock, wore that style of armor. I thought it fitting that you wear the armor of your forefather," answered Vegeta.

"You knew my grandfather?" asked Gohan, lying down on his own bed. "What was he like?"

"I only knew your grandfather in passing. He was a good soldier and leader, and although he was but a third-class warrior, he and his team took on missions meant for the Elite. I also heard he knew about Frieza's plan to destroy the planet and fought his way through a horde of his guards to take him on. He was nowhere near strong enough to defeat him and was one of the first Saiyans killed in the genocide. But he was also the only one to stand up and fight. He lived and died a true warrior."

Gohan lay back against his pillow, relaxing into the mattress as he placed his hands behind his head thoughtfully. Here he was, Kami-knows-where in the galaxy, fighting in a tournament as representative to the Saiyan race, and yet, there was so little he knew about his people and where he came from. Although he was technically half-human, half-Saiyan, genetically, he was almost fully Saiyan, as they, being the stronger genes, had taken over his human DNA. "Hey…Vegeta…?"

"What do you want now, brat?" asked an annoyed prince, tired of talking.

"W-would you…teach me about the Saiyan culture?" he asked tentatively.

Vegeta's eyes opened and he sat up, turning his head to face him. His look of surprise quickly gave way to anger. "Since when did you become this interested in your Saiyan side? You've never wanted to be anything more than those weak humans you and your father fight so hard to protect! Why the sudden curiosity?"

"I've never wanted to be a 'weak human'!" defended Gohan, as he too sat up, glaring at the older man. "I'm a Saiyan; the same blood that runs through your veins runs through mine! I'm sorry I don't spend all my time locked in the GR blasting anything that moves or breathes to smithereens!"

The prince huffed and crossed his arms in response. "Training is the only way to become stronger! You sit in that tiny room of yours for hours at a time, reading your books and watching your 'educational videos' while I slave away under hundreds of levels of pressure! You grow weak as I grow strong!" he roared angrily.

"You're just jealous that the son of a 'third-class warrior' has far surpassed you in power, and that I don't need to kill myself through training in order to do so! Do you want to know why my Dad and I are so strong? It's because he and I have something actually worth fighting for!" Gohan yelled.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean!" shouted Vegeta, standing up angrily.

"It means exactly what it's supposed to mean!" shouted back Gohan, jumping to his feet. "You only fight for yourself! My father and I fight to protect the ones we love and we grow stronger daily because of it! We know that no matter how powerful we are, there's always someone stronger, and so we train in order to become stronger than them if need be! You however, fail to see that the world does not revolve around you, and so you will always be weak!"

Having enough of the boy's back-talk, Vegeta burst into Super Saiyan and threw an angry fist at him. Instead of dodging or blocking, he was shocked to see Gohan take the hit head on; literally. He did not flinch, nor did he move an inch as Vegeta's punch hit him square in the middle of his forehead. Blood trickled down his face, dripping over his eye but he did not blink. He only stared fiercely and defiantly up at the older Saiyan, a small, angry frown on his lips.

"Is that the best you've got?" he asked, his voice deep and deadly. "Whether you like it or not, _Prince Vegeta_, I **AM** a Saiyan. And until you realize what it is that you're really fighting for, I will always be more powerful than you."

Retracting his arm, Vegeta powered down and sat on the bed once more, arms instinctively moving to cross over his chest. "Your lessons begin the day after we get back," he growled. "Now, if we're done with this stupid charade, let's find some place to eat. I've grown hungry listening to you preach the same crap I spent years listening to from your father."

Deciding it was too much effort to continue arguing, Gohan walked to the door and opened it. "Fine, have it your way. Let's go eat." And out into the hall he walked.

Getting to his feet, Vegeta followed quietly, silently brooding over the Son boy's words. Why had he gotten so angry? He should have felt proud that the son of Kakkarot wanted to learn about their race, unlike his goofball of a father. This was finally his chance to pass on his knowledge of what was once the mighty Saiyan race, and instead of accepting right away, he had yelled and questioned Gohan's reasons. What bugged him more was the fact that, deep in the back of his mind, and even further deeper within the confines of his heart, he knew the younger Saiyan's words to be true.

"How about here?" asked Gohan, standing outside of an all-you-can-eat buffet.

"What?" asked Vegeta, too lost in his thoughts to understand what the boy was asking.

"I said, how about here," he repeated, placing his hands on his hips. "Y'know…to eat? All the other places you have to order, and I don't know about you, but I don't want to have to wait for my food to be cooked. Also, knowing how much you and I eat, we'd probably overrun the kitchens with our order alone."

"Hn, fine," replied the prince. "Just as long as we get to eat."

The two walked into the buffet, and after presenting themselves as tournament fighters, were shown to a table and left to eat in peace. As usual, the two ate in silence, focused only on their food and barely aware of the other's presence. After some time, the older Saiyan looked up from his meal, setting his sights on his rival's son.

"Brat," said Vegeta, setting down his fork and plate as Gohan curiously looked up from his bowl.

"Yeah, Vegeta?" he asked, his mouth full of noodles.

Smirking, the prince said something in Saiyan, causing the younger male to tilt his head in confusion. "Repeat after me…/I am a monkey's uncle/," he said. Gohan repeated the words and he nodded in approval, his smirk growing wider. If the boy wanted to learn, he'd learn all right. But that didn't mean he, Vegeta, could not have some fun teaching him.

"/I am a monkey's uncle!/" said Gohan once more excitedly, receiving odd looks from others sitting around them. "That's so cool…what's it mean Vegeta?"

"It means hello."

~~~InHisFather'sFootsteps~~~

"Welcome back everyone for round two of the tournament! Now that our bellies are full and our bodies rested, let's get this show on the road!" cried the announcer, only just barely being heard over the crowd's cheers. "We have ten more fights scheduled for tonight before we end here today, where we'll pick off tomorrow morning for the final round, which as you all know, is a free-for-all, Battle Royale between the remaining ten fighters! Now, won't that be exciting?"

Gohan winced slightly as the audience cheered even louder, his ears twitching a little every now and then. He had grown accustomed to the loud volume of the stadium, but that didn't mean it didn't still irritate him. He could only imagine what sort of torture Piccolo would go through here, what with his super sensitive Namekian hearing. Sighing, he shook his head and turned upwards towards the screens, where the next fights were just about to be announced. His heart skipped a beat in excitement at what he saw.

"And our next main fight is between the Saiyan Gohan of the Earth and Ryobi, a veteran combatant from the planet Xylore. Both have shown themselves to be competent fighters in the preliminaries and first round fights. Who will beat whom in this next fight? There's only one way to find out! Fighters, into the ring!"

Gohan eagerly made his way into the ring, excited at the chance to fight again. He carefully eyed his opponent, who stepped into a defensive stance on the other side of the ring, searching for any weaknesses. Ryobi was well-sized man, standing at maybe 6-foot tall, dressed in a white, sleeveless gi, dark blue boots and wristbands on his hands and feet. His hair, a dark black, was styled into a Mohawk; the spiky tips dyed a light purple. He was not overly muscular like some of the fighters, but his arms and slightly exposed chest showed his lean, toned form.

"Ok, now that our fighters are in the ring, on the count of three, you may start. One…two…THREE! You may begin the fight!" cried the announcer.

"Good luck," said Gohan, smiling good-naturedly at his opponent.

Ryobi just scoffed at him and powered up, a purple aura dancing wildly around him. Springing forward, he flew across the ring at high speed, quickly closing the distance between himself and the young Saiyan. Gohan's smile turned into a smirk as he stepped into his own stance, not even bothering to power up. As his opponent's fist hurtled toward him, he leaned his body slightly to the lift, pivoting his hips to twist his body in order to dodge the blow.

As Ryobi's fist sailed past him, he swiftly pushed the man away and quickly spun around, jumping up and delivering a powerful reverse kick to his back. Landing on his feet, Gohan took a few steps back and waited for the next attack. Stumbling to his feet, the taller man quickly gathered his bearings and lashed out, attempting to pummel Gohan with a series of well aimed fists. It was only with lightning quick reflexes that the Saiyan was able to avoid what could have been devastating blows.

"Look at them go!" commented the announcer, narrating their fight step by step. "Ryobi charges a ki blast, releases it…and oh! Gohan smacks it away! Looks like it's his turn to go on the offensive! And wow! For such a small kid, he sure packs a powerful punch! Ryobi is on the defense; will he be quick enough to avoid harm?"

Dodging left and right, the Xylorian was just barely able to dodge Gohan's barrage of punches and kicks. Gohan phased behind him, and quicker than he could react, slammed an elbow into the back of his neck. He cried out in pain and spun around, kicking out a leg in hopes of hitting him. No such luck.

"No way you're getting me that easily," taunted Gohan, grabbing the offending leg and spinning him around once or twice before launching him high into the sky. Jumping into the air, he flew after his opponent and phased above him, halting his upwards ascent with an elbow to his stomach. Hitting him with several punches, he finished the combo by clasping his hands together above his head and jack-hammering Ryobi back down into the ring.

"Agh!" Ryobi slammed hard into the ground, the tiles cracking under the force of his crash landing. Weakly, he tried to stand up, his body protesting in pain. High above him, Gohan prepared the final blow.

"Kame-hame…ha!"

The bright blue blast descended upon Ryobi like the wrath of heaven on Earth. Mustering what strength he had left, Ryobi countered with his own blast. The two beams of energy met head on, stalling in midair for a second as they fought to overpower the other. But it was to no avail. Gohan's Kamehameha wave was just too powerful, quickly overcoming Ryobi's last attempt to win.

Letting up his attack, Gohan cut the power from his Kamehameha and it quickly dissipated. Slowly he floated back down, landing before the collapsed body of Ryobi, who had fallen over in exhaustion. He struggled to push himself up, only to fall back down, his body pushed way beyond its limits. Glancing up at the one to defeat him, he let out a tired smile.

"N-nice fighting…kid…" he said, before finally allowing himself to slip into the dark bliss of unconsciousness.

"And it looks like Ryobi is down for the count! Winner by knock out…GOHAN!"

Smiling happily, Gohan helped the medics place Ryobi on a stretcher before walking back into the waiting room, where the remaining fighters congratulated him on a job well done. Finding an empty bench to sit on, he got comfortable and settled down to watch the rest of the fights.

~~~InHisFather'sFootsteps~~~

"Oh man, what a day…" said Gohan, stepping tiredly into the shower. He and Vegeta had just finished their dinner and had headed back to their room to get an early night's sleep. The Saiyan prince had gone straight to bed, but he, after his fight, wanted to once again shower and wash off the sweat before resting. Sighing contentedly beneath the warm spray, he quickly washed off the dirt and grime he had accumulated over the past few hours before shutting off the water and drying off.

Pulling on his boxers, he toweled off his hair and set his folded spandex and armor at the foot of his bed. Tossing the towel onto the desk chair, he climbed into bed and pulled the covers over himself. Turning off the lights, he let sleep take him, the soft snores of Vegeta (which oddly enough, reminded him of his father's snores) lulling him quietly.

The next morning he woke up to the sound of a door opening and sat up, stretching his arms and back as he looked around. Vegeta sat on his bed, a towel around his neck as he pulled on his boots and gloves.

"Finally awake, I see," he said, throwing the towel onto the bed. "They made an announcement some time ago. You have about an hour to get ready before they continue the tournament."

"Ah man, that's only a little bit of time to eat breakfast and digest my food!" cried Gohan, pulling back the covers and grabbing his clothes. Rushing into the bathroom, he came back a few minutes later, fully dressed and awake, having splashed his face with ice cold water. "C'mon, let's go eat! I can't fight on an empty stomach!"

"Tch, calm down brat," said Vegeta, opening the door to their room. "Don't get your spandex all in a twist. An hour is plenty of time. Now let's go, I've been waiting quite some time for you to wake up."

After a hearty breakfast at the usual buffet, the two parted ways as Gohan made his way into the fighter's lounge. The usual kindness the fighters showed to one another was now gone; today, everyone was your enemy. Finding an empty corner, Gohan leaned his back against the wall and crossed his arms, looking over his competition. It would be a different sort of fight today and he'd have to give it his all if he wanted to win.

The other nine warriors were of varying sizes and colors, each radiating a powerful confident vibe. But the one that stuck out most was the red, dragon-like alien he had spotted the day before, who he learned to be a Fire-jin, by the name of Ka-Ryu. He was especially interested in this fighter, as he was one of the more powerful ones, and also because of the violent and ruthless behavior he showed in the ring. He had a bad feeling about this creature, and he made a mental note to watch out for him when they fought.

"Attention, attention!" called Kiyoshi, as he walked into the room. "As you all know, today is the last round fight, a Battle Royale between all of you for the title of the Intergalactic Fighting Champion. You shall all be introduced one by one, and when your name is called, I want you to walk into the ring and wait for the others. When you are all up there, you will receive any last minute instructions before beginning the fight. Are there any questions?" When no one spoke up, he quickly dismissed himself to let the announcer know they were all ready.

As Kiyoshi had said, the combatants were introduced one at a time, the crowd cheering loudly in the stands for their favorite fighter. When all ten of them were on stage, the announcer began his commentary.

"Ladies and gentleman, boys and girls, you've seen these amazing warriors prove their worth in battle time and time again. Now let's see how they fare in a free-for-all! Competitors, you know the rules; you may be disqualified for falling out of the ring, by knockout, or for killing someone. Now, I know you're all anxious to begin, so without further ado, let's start the countdown. On the count of one…two…three…BEGIN!"

Almost simultaneously, the fighters shot at each other, attacking anything and everything that moved. Gohan ducked beneath a punch and kicked backwards, hitting another fighter who had attempted sneak up behind him. Grabbing both men on either side of him, he slammed their heads together, their cries of pain ringing loudly in his ears. Letting go, he temporarily ignored one of them while he engaged the other in combat, trading a series of powerful blows that, when they collided, gave off a sound akin to a sonic boom. Their fight took to the skies as they continued to punch and kick at each other, floating higher and higher into the sky the longer it went on. Getting the upper hand of his opponent, Gohan quickly ended their fight as he blasted the man to the ground outside the ring.

"Nice fighting you!" called Gohan, before jumping back into the fray, where six other fighters now remained. As he touched back down into the ring, he was attacked by another man, this time a small green alien, who aside from his outfit and certain facial features, could have easily passed as Piccolo's mini-me.

"By any chance are you from Namek?" he asked, as he grabbed the alien in a headlock.

"No, but we share a common ancestor," he answered, releasing himself from Gohan's grasp by flipping him over his shoulder. "Now quit talking and fight!"

"Oomph!" Gohan gasped in pain as his back hit the floor. Quickly jumping to his feet, he sent a quick uppercut to the warrior's jaw. Grasping him by the shoulders, he pulled him down and rammed his knee into his stomach, earning a pained cry from the little green alien. Chopping him in the back of the neck with a knife hand, he sent him into unconsciousness before lightly tossing him outside the ring so as not to get hurt by the continued fighting.

When he looked back towards the middle of the ring, he realized it was just him and Ka-Ryu left, the Fire-jin standing there, arms crossed over his chest as he waited for Gohan to finish with his previous challenger. Walking forwards, he stood before the much larger male, staring heatedly up into his fiery red eyes.

"I have watched you, Saiyan, and can tell you have been holding back your power in these fights. Your battles would have ended much quicker if you had simply powered up and ended it. Why?" he asked, returning the boy's heated glare.

"I don't know who you are or why you're so interested in me, but to answer your question: I know that while my ki far surpasses many of those here, I do not know how well my fighting skills stack up against others. I wanted to test myself as a fighter by skill, and not just by my strength alone," Gohan replied.

"Hm, interesting answer, but I don't care for any of that. I came here to prove myself as the most powerful being in the galaxy and I will not be satisfied until I know I beat you at your best. So, boy, show me your power!"

'_Great, another power crazy maniac_,' thought Gohan, stepping back a few feet. '_Well, if he wants a fight, I'll give him a fight!_' Standing up straight, he burst into Super Saiyan and floated upwards till he was eye level with the Fire-jin. "You asked for it," he said, crossing his arms.

"Very good, boy; very good, indeed. But that won't be enough to defeat me," said Ka-Ryu with a smirk as he too powered up, a bloody red aura bursting forth from his body. Wave after wave of energy rolled off of him, his flame-like aura licking at his powerful form. Gohan's eyes widened at the sudden boost in power, never having expected anyone to be this strong.

His eyes widened even further as Ka-Ryu's fist shot forward, much quicker than he had expected. He winced slightly as the fist connected with his cheek, sending him flying back. With a burst of ki, he halted his backwards movement and flew forward, retaliating with a punch of his own.

Ka-Ryu took the hit and slid back across the tile. Rubbing his cheek, he charged an orb of ki in each hand and shot them at Gohan, who flew up to avoid being hit. The red-skinned alien took to the air as well, flying high above the stadium grounds with Gohan hot on his heels. They fought at speeds faster than any normal person could see; even some of the fighters had trouble keeping up with what was going.

"It seems these fighters are just too fast and powerful for us to follow," said the announcer, hoping to describe what the crowd could obviously not see. "But signs of their battle are clearly evident. A stray ki blast flies into ground…oh; I think I saw Gohan for a split second! Or that could have just been the lights in my eyes…"

Dropping down, Gohan just barely dodged a kick meant to hit him in the head, flying back to give himself some space. Spinning around, he brought his arms up just in time to block Ka-Ryu's punch, who had phased behind him in an attempt to get the upper hand. Feeling himself be grabbed, he quickly found himself on a one way course to the ground, landing painfully against the tiled floor of the ring.

"Agh!" he grimaced in pain as he was bombarded by a barrage of ki blasts, clenching his fists as he tried to block out the pain. He could feel his spandex tear and his armor begin to crack beneath the incessant rain of ki. High above him, he could hear Ka-Ryu cackling madly. "You…won't…beat me!"

In a flash, he ascended to the second level of Super Saiyan and phased away, out of harm's way. Flying up at Ka-Ryu, the young Saiyan slammed him with a number of hits, punching and kicking any part of the Fire-jin he could reach.

"W-what! There's even MORE to your power?" he cried, unable to believe this boy was getting the best of him. He had heard of the Legendary Super Saiyan, and although he was shocked to see that this mere child was able to achieve such a level of power, he had thought that was it. Now…now, he had been proven wrong as Gohan had ascended to a level even beyond it, with power far greater than he could ever imagine. "No…NO! I can't be beat like this!"

"You wanted to fight the best; well the best is what you got!" Gohan shouted, as he continued to beat down the Fire-jin. There was no longer any competition between the two; the young Super Saiyan was just too powerful for Ka-Ryu to compete. Grabbing the reptilian, he flew them back down to the ring and slammed his head against the ground. Jumping back, Gohan held out his hand, a ball of ki quickly gathering in the palm of his hand.

"No…" groaned Ka-Ryu, feebly getting to his knees.

"Yes," said Gohan, releasing his ki.

"NOOO!" Ka-Ryu screamed, holding his hands in front of him as he attempted to hold back the blast. He struggled against the attack, pumping as much ki into his arms as he could, but he knew it was to no avail. A minute later, his ki ran out and his arms grew weak. In an instant, he was taken over by the blast, which pushed him back and over the side of the ring.

"Ka-Ryu is out of the ring! Gohan is the winner!_** Gohan is the WINNER!**_" shouted the announcer as the crowd went wild. "That was an absolutely amazing fight! For a second it looked like Ka-Ryu had the upper hand, but young Gohan took us all by surprise with his second transformation and completely dominated the battle!"

"Hey, you okay?" asked Gohan, as he walked towards his fallen opponent, who was struggling to get even to his knees. "Here, let me help you."

"Don't touch me boy!" he snarled, using the wall to help pull himself to his feet. "I don't need your help. You may have won the battle, but this is far from over. I will prove myself as the strongest warrior and I will defeat you one day. Mark my words, Saiyan. This is not over!" Pushing Gohan aside, he stumbled off towards the medical room, clinging to the wall for support.

"Hey, kid, get back into the ring!" shouted Kiyoshi from the sidelines, pointing him back towards the stage. "You need to accept your title!"

"What? Oh, right! Oops, must've slipped my mind!" said Gohan, rubbing his head in the typical Son manner. Floating back into the middle of the ring, he was greeted by the announcer and Lord Kinomi, who had come to give him his prize.

"Congratulations, young Gohan," said Kinomi, placing an affectionate hand upon the boy's shoulder. "The power and skill you have shown here today was absolutely astounding, and you shall go down in history as the greatest warrior the Intergalactic Tournament has ever yet seen! You have done your race proud, my boy!"

Gohan felt his chest swell with pride and his face broke out into a wide grin. He had done it. He had proven himself, yet again, to be his father's son, winning a tournament and earning worldwide (or in this case, galaxy-wide) renown. He looked out into the crowd, hearing them chant his name, and he knew that this moment could not get any more perfect.

~~~InHisFather'sFootsteps~~~

"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN YOUNG MAN!" shouted an enraged Son Chichi, the instant Gohan walked through the door. "You've been gone for two days! TWO DAYS! Oh, you are in so much trouble!"

"Sorry, Mom," said Gohan, ducking his head sheepishly. "If it makes you feel any better…I won a tournament and was named the Intergalactic Fighting Champion."

"You were out fighting! You think th at's supposed to make me feel any better! How in the world is that sup—"

"I won the equivalent of fifty million zenni?" Gohan tried again, holding up a check.

Chichi's eyes went wide as she stared at the check and the young champion swore he could see her eyes flashing dollar signs. "Oh, you're such a good boy Gohan!" she cooed, pulling him into a loving embrace. "This is enough to pay for our food for many years to come! And I can finally expand the kitchen like I've always wanted to!"

"Yeah, buy whatever you like Mom," said Gohan, laughing nervously. He doubted he could ever explain his mother's sudden mood swings, but he was just glad that he was off the hook.

Later that night, after telling his mother all about his adventure at the tournament, a tired Gohan quietly slipped into bed, pulling the covers snugly around him. '_It's been so crazy these past few days,_' he thought, turning onto his side to gaze up at the stars outside his window. '_I still can't believe I won. Who would've thought…me, the galaxy's strongest warrior! If only Dad could see me now, he'd be so proud…_' Stifling a yawn, he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

"_I am proud of you_," said Goku, hearing his son's final thoughts as he watched from above in Otherworld. "_I'm so, so proud of you. I couldn't have asked for a better son…_"

~~~InHisFather'sFootsteps~~~

**A/N - READ IT! (10/14/10): **Ok, that was a long ass chapter if I must say so myself. I had a lot of trouble with this and the last chapter, but now that I have them out of my way, I really hope I can dish out faster updates. I already have most the of the next chapter written (actually, I'm sitting in Barnes n' Noble right now typing it out!), so expect that to come out within the next few days! And i'm serious this time, it **_WILL _**be released by at Sunday at the latest.

Now, back to the issue of Gohan's age. I grew up watching DBZ, but its been a long time since I've read the manga or watched the anime, but somewhere in my mind I thought DBZ happened like 3 years after DB, making Gohan 3 when it started. 3yrs old+1 year training makes him 4 when the Saiyans arrive, a year to Namek, then a year waiting for Goku makes him 6. Then the three years of training before the Androids and Cell would make him 9 right? I might be off on the timeline a bit, but yeah...also, I know technically you age and whatnot in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, but I don't consider that a real addition to his age. I mean, sure he's "aged" a year, but is there any real physical difference between a "9" and "10" year old? I think not. Anyway, so that's my excuse, lol.

**REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW!**


	6. Highschool The Next Great Adventure

A/N: Hey, SO SORRY about the wait, but school has been a real pain in the you know what. For those of you that read this chapter before I took it down, its basically cut and paste with a few scene changes here or there. Thanks again to the annonymous reviewer who pointed my faults out and I although it wasn't a huge change, maybe you'll enjoy this version a little more. I also can't understand why Gohan would get shot in any story, and although I did make a small filler that would include a reason, I didn't like how it fit into the overall story and cut it out. Thus the need to fix this chapter as well. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy! Please **REVIEW!**

~~~InHisFather'sFootsteps~~~

**Chapter 6: Highschool - The Next Great Adventure**

"Son Gohan, you get your lazy butt out of bed this instant! If you're not down here in five minutes, I'm feeding your breakfast to Goten!"

The young Saiyan's eyes shot open as he sat up in bed, hastily throwing the covers off of himself. In a flash, he'd gathered his clothing and stripped himself of his sleepwear, dashing into the shower moments later. Two minutes later he re-appeared, dressed in baggy black gi pants, a navy blue t-shirt, and a dark orange CC jacket (think Mirai's outfit). Running a hand through his still damp hair, he quickly ran down the stairs, two steps at a time.

"Sorry I overslept, Mom," he apologized, taking his seat at the table. "I was up late reading Dr. Brief's latest scientific findings in the CC journal." That was a complete lie. Truthfully, he'd gone out for a midnight spar with Piccolo at the Lookout and had only gotten home an hour or two ago. But his mother didn't need to know that. He'd never get fed that way.

Chichi could only sigh and shake her head, placing the last dish onto the table. "Just don't fall asleep on your first day of school, ok? I don't want your teachers thinking you're a slacker," she said, filling her plate.

Gohan nodded his head, grabbing a stack of pancakes as his mother signaled for him and his brother to begin eating. As he ate, the now 16 year old silently wondered why, after so many years, his mother was finally sending him to public school. It had been many years since he had fought in the Intergalactic Space Tournament, and aside from the occasional space alien visiting and begging to become the "Great Champion's pupil", not much had happened in his life since the event. That is, until Chichi decided to send him to high school. Sure, a high school diploma was more widely accepted than a G.E.D but he had learned their entire curriculum by the time he was 10. And what was with his mother's idea that he needed to make friends? He had plenty of friends! There were the Z-Fighters, Dende…Icarus! Mentally sighing to himself, he finished his meal and downed a glass of orange juice.

"Well, I'm off!" he said, excusing himself from the table. "Breakfast was great, as usual. Thanks a lot Mom!" Grabbing his book bag, he walked out the door.

"Do you really have to go?" whined Goten, as he and his mother followed the older Saiyan outside.

"Yes, I have to go," replied Gohan, kneeling down beside him. Ruffling the boy's hair affectionately, he continued, "Be a good boy for Mom, understand? When I get home from school, I'll take you out into the woods for some training."

"Really? Can you teach me how to fly?" asked Goten hopefully, looking up at his brother pleadingly. "You already taught me how to control my ki, so flying should be easy right?"

"Yeah, we'll see," he answered, standing back up.

"I packed you a snack for lunch today," said Chichi as her eldest son turned to her to say goodbye. "It's enough food to get you by until you come home. Those poor students don't need to see how much you can really eat."

"Aw, ok…" said a dejected Gohan, sad that he'd be missing a full meal.

"And I also packed the capsulated hovercar Bulma bought you for your birthday."

"What? Why would you pack that?" he asked. He only used that when he went to town to buy groceries, or when he drove his mother over to Capsule Corp. for a visit with the Briefs.

"I know you plan on flying yourself to school; there's no way you'd make it in time if you went any other way, but wouldn't it be weird if you were seen flying over the city?" said Chichi. "I want you to fly the outskirts of the city, and then drive yourself the rest of the way. Do you understand?"

Gohan sighed and nodded his head. He wanted to disagree, say he could easily slip past people undetected, but he knew there was no winning with his mother. "Yes, Mom," he replied, glancing at his watch. "Well, I should go now." Waving goodbye, the young Saiyan took to the air and quickly flew off, his mother and brother rapidly fading away into nothing.

~~~InHisFather'sFootsteps~~~

"That'll be $5.92 sir."

Handing his money over, Gohan eagerly watched the cashier grab his meal and hand it over to him. Pulling the doggy bag through the window, he thanked the man and set it down in the passenger seat next to him.

'_Oh man, I love driving!_' he thought to himself as he drove off, one hand excitedly pushing its way into the bag. Grasping his XXL Macho Taco Breakfast Burrito, Gohan unwrapped it and took his first delicious bite. '_So good…_'

As he happily munched away, he wondered why it had taken him so long to discover drive-thrus. They were, in the most basic terms, Dende's greatest gift to mankind (and Saiyankind alike). He had arrived at Hercule City with almost an hour before class, and so to kill time before school, he'd decided to take a scenic drive through the city. It was about five minutes into his drive when he began to feel the beginning pangs of hunger, and as any hungry Saiyan would do, he sought out food. It was then he spotted the drive-thru for Donut World. And that was only just the beginning. With plenty of time to spare, the hungry hybrid had hit up almost every fast-food joint within a five-mile radius.

So focused on his thoughts, even more so on his burrito, Gohan was too late to notice the speeding car hurdling his way. It was only as he went in for another bite, that he was suddenly jolted back to reality._ *SCREECH! CRASH!*_

"Owww…!" Stumbling from his ruined car, Gohan tearfully held his mouth as he surveyed the damage.

"You stupid kid!" shouted a masked man, stepping from the ruins of his own vehicle. "Crap, look what you did now!" An instant later, a dozen cars had surrounded the both of them.

"Put your hands up!" shouted the police as they jumped out of their cars, their guns aimed at the man in the mask.

"Oh, hell no! This is your entire fault!" shouted the criminal, taking out his gun and pressing it to Gohan's forehead.

"My fault!" cried the teary-eyed Saiyan, still clutching his mouth in pain. "You made me bite my tongue! It hurts…it really does…"

"Shut up already!"

Gohan just sniffled, eying the remains of his ruined burrito that lay on the dashboard and driver's seat. '_My burrito…_' he thought sadly.

"Put the gun down and step away from him!" came a new voice, as a girl in a baggy white shirt and black spandex pushed her way past the cops.

"Don't move or the crybaby here gets it," threatened the man, shoving the end of his gun harder against Gohan's forehead. "Now I'm going to count to three and by the time I finish, I want all of you out of here!"

"Listen here; I'm Videl Satan, the daughter of the world champion and the man who defeated Cell! I _never_ back down!" she answered, stepping into a defensive stance.

"Ok, you asked for it! One…two…" he began to countdown.

Videl leapt from her spot, fully prepared to knock the gun out of his hand and away from his hostage. So it came as a surprise when he suddenly turned to her and fired with a shout of "THREE!" With no time to dodge, she held her arms protectively in front of her body, hoping to shield herself the best she could. Closing her eyes, she awaited the inevitable pain, only to open them a second later when nothing happened. Looking up, she came face-to-face with the backside of the man's supposed hostage.

Gohan peered down at the man, tightening his grip on the man's wrist, which he held high above his head. "You shouldn't have done that," he growled menacingly, eyes narrowing dangerously. The robber's eyes widened in fear; how had the kid gotten in front of him like that so fast? He couldn't even remember seeing him move, let alone grabbing him. Instinctively he tried to pull away, but the Saiyan's hold was much too strong. As a result of his incessant tugging, his finger accidentally squeezed the trigger and a shot was fired off into the air.

Taking the gunfire as an act of hostility, Gohan growled once again and yanked the gun from his hand and tossed it aside. "Wrong move," he said coldly. Rearing his fist back, he hit the man with a powerful backhand, sending him flying through the front windshield of the nearest cop car.

Five minutes later, Gohan found himself surrounded by reporters and policemen as he unsuccessfully tried to get away. Questions were thrown left and right at him and he was so overwhelmed by his sudden fame that he could barely utter a word. He looked down in surprise as suddenly, something warm was pushed into his right hand, and a small capsule shoved into his left.

"Here you go kid, a small thank you for your help today." It was the Chief of Police, a tall, middle-aged man with brown hair and a bushy mustache. "We confiscate a lot of stolen vehicles from criminals we apprehend, and sometimes they don't get reclaimed. That capsule holds a hovercar that once belonged to the head of the Blue Dragon Gang; it's a real nice one if you ask me. And that there's a replacement for the burrito you lost in the crash. You sure looked upset when it was ruined!"

Gohan let out an uneasy laugh at this. He'd bit his tongue and was immediately put under a stressful situation. How else was he supposed to react? Maybe getting upset like that had been a bit much, but it really did hurt…

"Anyway, thanks again," said the Chief, smiling brightly at him. "Most people would've let us or Videl handle it, but you really took care of things! You're a hero boy!"

"Oh, gee…I wouldn't call myself a hero," admitted Gohan sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head in the familiar Son manner. "I just did what I thought was the right thing to do. When he turned his gun towards that girl, I don't know, I just let instinct take control I guess."

"I can take care myself, thank you very much!" shouted Videl, as she pushed her way through the crowd. She'd stood back a little to watch, but hearing that guy's comment about how he _instinctively_ stepped in to protect her…ugh, it got on her nerves! What was with men and thinking they always needed to save the girl?

"What?" asked Gohan, taken aback by her sudden outburst. Around them, the reporters began diligently writing down notes as photographers snapped photos and the occasional camera man recorded it all on tape.

"You heard me!" she said, standing directly in front of him. Glaring up at him, she prodded him hard on the chest with her finger and continued, "I said I could take care of myself! I don't need some stupid _boy_ jumping in and saving me!"

"Oh…I'm sorry miss…I don't mean any offense," replied the very confused Saiyan. "I just thought that…um…"

"Just thought what, HUH?" she shouted, prodding him once again. "What were you doing driving in front of a high-speed car chase like that anyway!"

"W-well, you see miss, I was on my way to school and…oh, Dende no!" he gasped, as he suddenly realized just how late to school he was going to be. And it was only his first day! Forgetting the capsule car, which he'd stuffed into his pocket, he shoved the burrito into her hand and fought his way out of the crowd and grabbed his book bag. "I'm going to be so late!"

"Hey, wait! Where do you think you're going! I'm not done with you! Agh! I didn't even get your name!" She and the crowd of policemen and news crews watched him run away at unnatural speeds, his anguished cries fading away the further he got.

"My mom is going to kill meee!"

~~~InHisFather'sFootsteps~~~

"Now class, if you'd turn to page two of your syllabus, I want you to note that my grading policy for this year has changed from the previous year. Instead of a—" The teacher was interrupted as the door slammed open and a spiky haired man burst through. "Oh dear, are you alright my boy?"

Gohan hunched over, panting and out of breath as he rested his hands on his knees. He looked up as a hand was lightly placed on his shoulder, coming nose to nose with the concerned face of a kindly-looking old man.

"Sorry I'm late," apologized the Saiyan, finally catching his breath. "I'm Gohan, a new student here. I didn't mean to miss class; just ran into some trouble on the way over."

"That's quite alright," said the teacher, removing his hand as Gohan stood up. "You said that you were a new student, correct? Well, do you have your transfer files?"

"My…transfer files?" Obviously he had no clue what the man was talking about.

"Yes, you're supposed to pick them up from the school office before you come to class."

"Oh, I'm sorry," apologized Gohan, blushing slightly in embarrassment as the teacher led him back to the door. "I received my class schedule and summer assignments in the mail, but I was never informed of first day procedure…"

"It's no problem. If you go out into the hall and to the left, follow it around the corner and the office should be the first door on your right. The secretary should have your paperwork. Just collect your things and come back."

"Oh, ok…" said Gohan, slightly confused as the teacher gently pushed him out into the hall. "Uh, to the left right…?" Receiving a nod, he awkwardly waved goodbye and walked in the direction he had been pointed.

"Oomph!" Gohan fell onto his back as he turned the corner, a small black and white blur slamming into his chest. "Ugh…" he groaned, rubbing his back as he stood up.

"Ow! What the hell are you made of? Steel?"

"What…?" he asked, looking at the one to run into him. It was that girl. What was her name again? Oh right, Videl. "I'm sorry Videl; I should have been looking where I was going."

"Damn right you should have been looking," she retorted, holding her aching head. "How do you know my name? Oh wait, forget it. Everyone knows my name…" she added that last part almost bitterly. "I still haven't caught your name by the way."

"Oh, well you said your name back at the robbery…and, um, never mind," he said shyly, awkwardly rubbing the back of his head. "My name is Son Gohan."

"Well, Son Gohan, I'm really late for class. I assume you were heading to the school office, so you go this way and I go that way, and next time we meet, try not to get in my way ok?" she said curtly.

"Yeah, sure," answered Gohan nervously. "Sorry again…"

"Whatever," was all she said before continuing her way towards her classroom.

The young Saiyan watched her go before turning and walking into the office. The secretary was young redhead, who chewed gum and talked in a funny, city-girl accent, and ignored him for several minutes as she played solitaire on her computer. After losing the game, she sighed and blew a bubble before handing him his folder.

"Thank you ma'am," he said, taking the folder and bowing gratefully. She blew another bubble and nodded her head dismissively, which he took as a sign that he could go.

Videl sat quietly in the back of the classroom, between her two best friends Sharpner and Erasa. Leaning over the desk, she rested her head in her hand and pretended to pay attention. The teacher was talking about their summer reading assignment and how it would be due next class, but she paid his words little heed. Unlike many of her classmates, she had done her homework at the beginning of summer rather than wait last minute to do it and was glad she'd have no work to do for this class later that night.

"Psst, Videl," whispered Erasa, pretending to write down notes. "Did you see that new boy that came in earlier? He seemed kind of lost, but oh my gosh, he was so cute!"

"Jeez Erasa…" Videl rolled her eyes. _Of course_ Erasa would want to talk about boys and their looks. But, ignoring the "cute" comment, what she said had piqued her interest. So that meant Gohan was in their class? Just as she was about to ask the blonde what happened, the door quietly opened and in walked the subject of their conversation.

"Ah, you're back!" said the teacher, setting down his book. "Now that he's got everything settled, class, let me introduce you to the newest addition to our school. This here is Son Gohan, who got perfect scores on his entrance exams. You could all learn a thing or two from him. Introduce yourself boy; tell us a little something about you."

Shyly, Gohan rubbed his head and looked around the classroom, unsure of what to say. "Well, um…like he said, my name is Son Gohan. I live in the mountains with my mom and little brother, and I like to read, fish, and do martial arts when I have the time. That's about it I guess."

"Well, now that we've got that out of the way, please find a seat so we may continue discussing your summer projects."

"Yoo-hoo! Up here cutie! You can sit next to me!" cried a blonde in the back.

"Oh, uh, ok…thank you very much," said Gohan as he climbed up the stairs towards the empty seat.

"Hi, I'm Erasa!" she said cheerfully, giving him a bright smile. "And the blonde guy over there is Sharpner, and between us is Videl. But I'm sure you already know who she is, being Hercule's daughter and all."

"We've met before," he said. "But if you don't mind me asking, who's Hercule?" The three gave him incredulous looks, as if he'd suddenly sprouted a tail or something. Unconsciously, his hand went behind him to check, and he let out a sigh of relief when he found nothing but the back of his pants.

"Are you kidding me? Hercule, as in Hercule Satan, the man to defeat Cell, the man this city was named for?" said Erasa.

"Hercule? Hm…" Gohan tapped his chin thoughtfully as images of giant afros popped to mind. "Oh! Hercule! Aha, how silly of me; it's just living in the mountains, we're so isolated that sometimes it's easy to forget about the outside world."

"Makes sense, I guess," said Erasa, shrugging her shoulders. Mountain folk, what would she know? She was a city girl through and through.

"Hey, psst, Gohan; so you said you did martial arts right?" asked Sharpner, leaning back in his chair to converse with the teen behind the two girls backs, where hopefully, the teacher would not notice. Videl, hearing the words martial arts, tuned in on their conversation.

"Hm? Oh, yeah, I've been doing martial arts since I was a very young child," answered Gohan, propping his book in front of his face to hide the fact that he was not paying attention.

"Hm, yeah, I can tell. Even with baggy clothes, you can definitely tell you're hiding some serious muscle," said the blonde. "Well, anyway, I'm the captain of the school's boxing team and a lot of our guys graduated last year. We're looking to recruit some new members and you seem like a really good candidate. It's obvious you've got the strength and skills to be a real asset to our team. So what do you say?"

Gohan looked down thoughtfully, considering Sharpner's offer. His mother had sent him to school to make friends, and from what he'd been told by Bulma (who had a lot more social experience than Chichi), school activities like sports and clubs were the quickest way to get "in".

Turning to face him, he smiled and nodded his head. "I'd like that; thanks a lot for telling me about it. I have a long commute to and from school, but I'm sure I can work something out. I'll just need to check with my mother before I give you an official answer though."

"Awesome," said Sharpner, returning the smile. If Gohan had really been training as long as he said he had, of which he had no doubts—not that he swung that way, but he could definitely see the kid was built underneath all those layers of clothes—then he had just grabbed what could be their best shot at this year's championship.

Seeing that the guys' conversation was over, Videl decided to start one up of her own. "Who taught you to fight, Gohan?" she asked, clearly curious to where he had learned. If he had trained since childhood, there was little possibility that he had learned her father's style, which only became popular after his triumph over Cell.

"Oh, well, you could say I've had a lot of teachers over the years," he replied. Holding up his hand, he began to list off those he'd trained with or under. "Let's see…my first sensei was a man by the name of Piccolo. Then, of course, there was my father, who trained under the Turtle Hermit, Master Roshi. Along with him was his best friend and my godfather, Krillen, who sparred with me a lot when I was a kid. I also trained a lot with my father's other friends, Tien Shin and Yamcha the Bandit, though last I heard, he'd given up martial arts." At this, Gohan thoughtfully rubbed his chin, trying to remember what the scarred man now did, completely oblivious to the incredulous looks his new friends were giving him.

"Gohan, you do realize that all those people you mentioned are extremely famous martial artists, right?" asked Videl, unsure of whether or not to believe his claims.

"Oh, they were famous?" he asked, breaking out of his thoughts. "Hm, oh yeah, well I do remember Dad mentioning them all fighting in a tournament or two…"

"Who is your father anyway?" asked a curious Erasa. She may not have been the most avid of martial arts fans, but considering it was the world's most popular sport, she knew enough to get by. After all, she prided herself in being in the loop of things, no matter the topic.

"My father was Son Goku," he replied casually as all three's jaws dropped.

"You're the son of _**SON GOKU!**_" cried Videl, slamming her hands onto the desk as she stood up in surprise.

"_Ahem!_ Ms. Satan, would be so kind as to explain just exactly why you disturbed my class?" asked the teacher crossly, staring heatedly up at the girl. She ducked her head and flushed in embarrassment, mumbling an apology as she sat back down. Sighing, the teacher shook his head and returned to his lesson.

Once the teacher's back was turned, Videl glanced at Gohan and whispered quietly, "Are you really his son?"

"…yes?" Gohan answered uncertainly, confused by their shocked reactions. "Why do you guys look so surprised?"

"Why? _Why?_ For Kami's sake Gohan, your dad is a freaking _LEGEND_ in the martial arts community," she answered. "He defeated the Red Ribbon Army and the Evil King Piccolo, and later on went to win the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament! Many people out there say he's even stronger than my father, but after the tournament, your dad disappeared and there was no way of proving it."

"Oh, well Mom always tells me that she and Dad were married right after the tournament and immediately jumped into married life," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "I mean, I was born almost exactly nine months after they were married, and let's just say over the years, he's had a lot of tough situations on his plate. "

Before anyone could ask any more questions, the bell rang, signaling the end of first period. The rest of the day passed like a blur; boring lectures, baseball in gym (where luckily, he managed to control his strength), and a free period at the end of the day. The young Saiyan was pleasantly surprised to find out that he shared all the same classes with Sharpner, Erasa, and Videl, and after getting over the initial shock of his upbringing, the three teens had welcomed him into their group with open arms.

Sharpner was glad to have another guy in the group to even out the numbers, and talked to Gohan almost nonstop about guy things (half of which the poor Saiyan knew little about, though he good-naturedly nodded along). Erasa had found a new person to talk gossip with, or rather, talk gossip to. He was such a good listener, and that was all she really wanted. Plus, it was one more guy that she could use as a male model when she went shopping—after all, she did need to know what she'd look like if she wanted to match any future dates, and while Sharpner was good, he too was blonde, and Gohan's _beautiful_ black hair added a nice contrast to her own. Videl, however, was still a little angry about his involvement with her morning crime-stopping, but after getting past that, she was very curious about his martial arts experience, and asked many questions about what it was like to grow up fighting amongst the very best.

All in all it was a good first day. Chichi was ecstatic to learn that he had already made friends, especially since two of them were girls. He could almost hear his mother's mantra of '_grandbabies, grandbabies, thank you Dende, grandbabies!_' and he and Goten shared a knowing look when she let out a dreamy sigh. When he asked about joining the boxing team, she was still too lost in her fantasy world to really comprehend what he had said and absentmindedly nodded her head, which he took to be a "yes."

As it neared midnight, Gohan, who had been lying in bed, quietly pulled off his covers and sat up. Swinging his legs over the side, he silently crept to the closet and took out his regular orange gi. Careful not to make a sound, he changed into it and jumped out his window. Checking his mother's and brother's ki, he made sure his family was safe and asleep before taking to the air and flying off.

"How was school?" asked Dende, as Gohan arrived at the Lookout ten minutes later.

"I think you already know," replied the spiky haired teen, smiling at his childhood friend. "But for the sake of conversation, it was good. The academic part of it was easy; my teachers are good people and know their material well, but I learned everything when I was still very young. I only pretended to pay attention to their lectures and worked on homework instead. I made some friends though, which my Mom is real happy about."

"That's great," replied the guardian, happy for his friend. The poor guy had spent his life in near isolation, his only friends being the Z-fighters and himself. Oh, and a miniature purple dragon, if that really counted. It was good to know that despite his lack of social interaction, he was still capable of building new relationships with others.

"Yeah, anyway, is Piccolo around? I was hoping to get in a few hours of training with him before school. "

"Don't you need to sleep?"

"I'm a Saiyan; my body is designed for combat, and thus, I don't really need all that much sleep to begin with. I can take a short snooze before class and that'll be good enough for me."

"If you say so…but yeah, Piccolo is here. I'm surprised he hasn't come out to greet you, considering he can sense your ki approaching. He's over on the other side of the Lookout meditating."

"Alright, thanks a lot!" said Gohan, flying off in the direction the Namekian had pointed him.

"Hey kid, took you long enough," Piccolo murmured as he landed. Ignoring any further formalities, he threw off his turban and shrugged off his cape, quickly falling into a stance. "I'm going to get you back for that last spar…"

"Yeah, yeah, nice to see you too," Gohan replied, smirking as the large, green man charged forward.

~~~InHisFather'sFootsteps~~~

Ok, so there it is! Not your typical Gohan's first day. The whole "bank robbery, Gold Fighter, angry and interrogative Videl" is seriously overused. My story, and thats not how I say it goes. Expect the unexpected! Still a robbery, but no bank. Where's the Gold Fighter? Nowhere. Will he ever appear? Hah! Like i'm going to tell you that! I'm excited about the next chapter and I hope you'll like it. I have a lot to do this weekend, so don't expect an update till at least Tuesday or Wednesday. Anyway, as always...

**REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW!**


	7. My Name is the Great

Hey! So I hit my deadline. I said Tuesday or Wednesday and it currently Tuesday, with about 50min left till Wednesday. Yay me for being on time! Anyway, this is kind of a shorter chapter and not too much happens until the middle-end, but I hope you enjoy it anyway. Please **REVIEW!** They really do encourage me to write more and better, and I love in-put!

~~~InHisFather'sFootsteps~~~

**Chapter 7: My Name is the Great...**

"Oh my gosh, you were on the news Gohan!" cried Erasa, the instant he walked through the door. The young Saiyan cringed as he remembered how his little stunt had been the highlight of local news stations, and how his mother, after seeing a re-run of the story on this morning's news, had sworn to forbid him from training if he ever did something like that again. He was supposed to go to school and be a _normal_ student, not show off his strength on national television.

"Oh, yeah…that," he said nervously, taking his seat beside her. "It really wasn't anything…"

"Are you kidding me? You were on the _**NEWS**_! And you _stopped a robbery_!" she exclaimed excitedly. "Do you know how popular you're going to be now? Like, oh my gosh, it's only your second day here, and I bet soon enough you'll be giving Sharpner a run for his money as the most popular guy in school!"

"Hey! I'm right here y'know!" said Sharpner, crossing his arms as he feigned anger. But if one looked closely enough, you could see the corners of his mouth tugging into a small smile. He'd only known the kid for a day, but he liked Gohan, and wouldn't mind if he became popular. The blonde could tell that Gohan was a real good guy, which was more than he could say for the majority of popular kids.

"Sorry Sharpner," giggled Erasa, smiling as usual. "Oh, hey there Videl!"

"Hey Erasa," said Videl, sitting between the two blondes. "Sharpner, Gohan."

The two males nodded at her in greeting and turned their attention to the front of the classroom where the teacher had just walked in. Opening his book, Gohan took out his homework and waited for the teacher to collect it. Soon enough, the sound of shuffling books and bags filled the room as students began to take out their assignment and pass it towards the front.

"Hey, Gohan, pass it forward," said the guy behind him, passing him his and a few other's papers. "By the way, saw you on the news. Nice going!"

"Oh, yeah…uh, thanks!" replied Gohan, slightly confused as he leaned forward to pass it to the girl in front of him. "Excuse me miss, would you please pass these to the front?"

"Sure, anything for you handsome," she winked, causing the poor Saiyan's face to flush in embarrassment.

Leaning back in his chair, he looked over at his three friends, who were quietly laughing to themselves. "I-it's not funny!" he stuttered, crossing his arms defensively.

"Sorry Gohan," said Videl, the first to apologize. She was on the news all the time, and was used to people being overly nice to her because of it. But poor Gohan had probably never been called handsome or anything else like that by anyone but his mother.

The rest of the morning went by quickly and soon enough, it was Gohan's favorite part of the day. As the bell rang, signaling their lunch break, Gohan attempted to find a quiet place to eat, only to be crowded by jocks and pretty girls alike.

"Hey, I saw you on the news Gohan. You're pretty cool, why don't you come sit with my friends and I?" said one guy, nodding his head in the direction of the bleachers.

"No, don't sit with them, come with me," said a girl, latching onto his arm and pulling him towards her friends' table.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I'd really just like to eat in peace…" said Gohan sheepishly, pulling out of her grip. Spotting Sharpner, Erasa, and Videl waving at him over the small crowd of students, he pushed his way past and joined his friends. The others, realizing he would not sit with them, broke off and went to their own spots.

"How's it feel to be Mr. Popular?" giggled Erasa, as the four of them took a seat beneath a large, shady tree.

"It's a lot to handle," admitted Gohan, digging through his bag for his lunch. "I don't understand why everyone wants to be my friend just for being on the news; I mean, is it really that big of a deal?"

"Don't worry, it'll die down in a day or two," said Sharpner, pulling a brown bag from his backpack. Taking a bite of his sandwich, he continued, "You'll be back to regular old Gohan soon."

"I hope so," Gohan said, finally finding his food. Pulling it out of his bag, the Saiyan de-capsulated his meal and a dozen sandwiches, a thermos of soup, and a small handful of fruits appeared. Just as they had the other day, the three teens stared in awe as he began to eat.

"Y'know, even if it is only the second day, I don't think I'll ever get used to seeing one person eat that much food," said Videl, looking up from her own lunch.

"Haha, yeah, I guess I do eat a lot," answered the Saiyan, swallowing his bite. Chugging down some of the soup, he returned to his sandwich and continued eating. '_If only you knew how much I really ate; this is only a light snack!_'

Their peaceful lunch break was suddenly interrupted as Videl's watch began to loudly beep. Pressing a button, the screen on her watch came to life and the image of the Chief of Police appeared. "What is it Chief?" she asked, staring into the screen.

"We've got another bank robbery; it's the Red Rider biking gang again!" he cried, obviously distressed. In the background, loud gunfire and explosions went off. "They're out of control!"

"I'll be right there!" she said, ending the call and jumping to her feet. "Sorry guys, but I need to run!" Hastily, she threw a capsule to the ground several feet away, where her jet-copter immediately appeared in a burst of smoke. Climbing in, she slammed the door shut and took off, the roar of the engine deafening the three teens and the gust of wind from her takeoff blowing their things away. Luckily for Gohan, he'd already finished his food, or else he'd have had to pick at the remains of what could have been a ruined meal.

"Where's she going?" he asked, as he walked over to collect a book, which had been pushed back beneath a nearby bush.

"To fight crime obviously," said Erasa, grabbing her own things. "I mean, I know that you live in the mountains and all, but even yesterday, she was there to stop that robber you beat up. Why else did you think she was there?"

"Oh…I don't actually know," said Gohan dumbly. "I thought she just stepped in to help, like I did. I didn't actually know it was her job or anything."

"Videl's been helping the police since she started high school," said Sharpner. "A long time ago, when were still kids, Videl was nearly ran over by a car that was being chased by police. She would have died that day if it weren't for some boy that stepped in to protect her. Later, she found out that boy had also stopped the robbery that the car had been running from. No one found out who he was, but since that day, she swore never to be weak again and to protect others, just like that guy protected her."

"Oh, wow, that's a pretty amazing story," Gohan said calmly. However, on the inside, he was in near panic. '_**Videl**__ was the girl I saved all those years ago? Hm…now that I think about it, she did look a little familiar. It's great that by saving her, I motivated her to train and protect people, but what if she recognizes me! I know that it's been five or six years since that incident, and we're both a lot more grown up, but it could happen! Oh no, what do I do?_'

"Hey, Earth to Gohan! **Earth to Gohan!**" The young Saiyan was so lost in thought that he failed to hear the bell ring, or his two friends waving their hands in front of his face in an attempt to get his attention. It was only when Sharpner punched his shoulder that he finally realized what was going on.

"Oh, sorry, I zoned out there for a second," he said, laughing nervously. "Was that the bell?"

"Yeah, we've got five minutes to get to class," answered Erasa, as the three of them stood up. "Would you mind grabbing Videl's bag; she should be back soon."

"Yeah, sure," said Gohan, picking up her things before following the two blondes inside. "You think she'll be ok?"

"Don't worry about her, she'll be fine. She's done this hundreds of times," reassured Sharpner.

"Well, ok…" replied a reluctant Gohan, worried for his new friend. Focusing on her ki and the one's surrounding her he "watched" the fight by feeling the spikes and falls in ki. Videl's ki flared and three others dropped low, which meant she had probably knocked them out. Feeling her relax, he knew it was over and sighed in relief. Settling down in his chair, he put her bag on her chair and took his things from his own.

~~~InHisFather'sFootsteps~~~

"Hey, we're going over to _Books 'n More_ to study for that Chemistry test tomorrow," said Erasa to Gohan as the final bell rang. "Do you want to come? We could really use a smart guy like you to help us out."

"Sure, that'd be great," he answered, happy to be included as he slung his bag over his shoulder. "You two don't mind, do you?" His question was directed towards Videl and Sharpner, who were already waiting by the door for them.

"No way, you're definitely coming," said Sharpner, placing an arm around the Saiyan's shoulder and walking them down the hall. "You don't even pay attention and you know the material better than the teacher. With you studying with us, maybe I'll finally get something more than a C."

"So how are we getting there?" asked Videl once they'd walked into the parking lot.

"Well, we could carpool there," suggested Erasa. "I can't drive though; my car is still in the shop."

"We could take my jet-copter, but it only fits two people." The girls then turned to the boys.

"Ok, rock-paper-scissors over who drives!" said Sharpner, facing Gohan.

"What? Oh, uh…ok. One…two…three!"

"Hah! I win! You're driving!"

Shrugging his shoulders, Gohan pulled out a capsule and threw it to the ground. What appeared surprised the three others almost as much as when they'd first seen how much he could eat. They had expected a normal hovercar, or in the case of Erasa, a tractor; instead, it was a sleek, sporty, hard-top convertible.

"Whoa, dude! Nice ride!" exclaimed Sharpner, running to the front passenger seat. "I call shotgun!"

"Is this the car the Chief gave you yesterday?" asked Videl, as she and Erasa slid into the back seats.

"Yeah, it is. He said it was nice, but I didn't think it'd be this nice," replied the spiky haired teen, turning the ignition. "Sorry if I drive too fast. This car is a lot more sensitive than my old one, and even a small amount of pressure on the gas is enough to have me going eighty. I'm still getting used to this."

"Screw that! I bet this baby could push two hundred!"

"Sharpner, don't give him any ideas. Gohan, if you go anywhere near two hundred, I'm going to have to arrest you."

Gulping nervously, he nodded his head and drove out of the parking lot. With their direction, it took only ten minutes to get to the bookstore. When everyone was out of the car, it converted back to a capsule, which he shoved into his pocket before following his friends inside.

"Here's a table," said Videl, sitting down at a large round table in the store's café. "If anyone wants to grab coffee or a snack or something, you should do it now before we study."

All four of them set their things down and headed to the café to order. When they'd gotten their things, they returned to the table and began to study. Or rather, Gohan taught them the material and forced them to study.

A couple hours later, the group decided to call it quits and head home. Just as they got outside, Videl was called away to handle another robbery, leaving the three teens alone once again. Saying their goodbye, Sharpner drove Erasa home, and Gohan, deciding to see how Videl was doing, tracked her ki and quickly ran there.

From a nearby rooftop, he watched her fight her way through a mob of men, kicking and punching left and right. He was greatly impressed by her skill, and although he remembered little of her father, he got the feeling that she was much stronger and more skilled than the so called "great Champ." From within the building burst another horde of men, this time armed with machine guns, and he felt a strong urge to jump in.

'_If I jump in, she'll recognize me! I could go Super Saiyan, but even then my clothes are the same. What do I do? Oh no! She's cornered! I've got to help!_'

But before he could even begin to jump down from his spot, Videl rolled out beneath the legs of one man and kicked him from behind. Deciding only to step in if she was in desperate need of help, he continued to watch her fight. To his great relief, she knocked out the rest of the men and released the hostages.

Deciding that it was okay to go, he floated into the air and flew off towards West City. He had a spar with a certain Saiyan Prince, and a favor to ask his mate.

~~~InHisFather'sFootsteps~~~

"Here Gohan, I finished that thing you asked me," said Bulma, as Gohan walked into the room, his clothes tattered, cuts and bruises littering his body. He had just finished a long training session with Vegeta, and was eager to see what the blue-haired genius had come up with for him.

"That's great!" he said excitedly, walking over to her desk.

"Here you go," she said, handing him a watch. "Press the red button to transform your clothes, and the blue one to transform back. I really wish you would have let me choose your outfit, but I guess yours fits nicely too."

"Thanks a lot Bulma! You're the greatest!" said Gohan, clicking the button. He was covered in a bright white light, which quickly faded away to reveal the armor he wore back when he had been competing in the space tournament. Looking at himself in a nearby mirror, he transformed into a Super Saiyan and smiled. His disguise was finally complete.

"You look good," complimented Bulma, smiling. "So mind telling me again why you had me do this for you?"

"Oh, well, there's this girl in my class named Videl," he began, still looking himself over. "Remember that guy, Hercule, who got thrown into a mountain by Cell?"

"Ugh, you mean the idiot that took credit for your defeat?" she asked, a disgusted look on her face.

"Yeah, him. Anyway, Videl is his daughter and she helps around the city fighting crime and whatnot. She's really good at what she does, but she's still human and can get seriously hurt if something ever went wrong. I want to help her out."

"You become more and more like your father every day," said Bulma, her smile widening.

"Heh, yeah, I get that a lot from Mom," said Gohan embarrassedly. "Also…there's another reason why I want to help. Remember when I stopped that robbery a few years ago at that bank across the mall? Well, apparently she was the girl I saved, and ever since then, she's sworn to protect others. It's a noble cause, but I feel a mixed amount of pride and guilt about her decision. If she ever got hurt, or worse, killed, I don't think I'd be able to live with myself knowing I was, in a way, the cause of it."

"Gohan, it's her choice to put herself in danger like that. Sure, maybe you helped push her in that direction, but overall it was her choice. Even if you didn't save her, how do you know she still wouldn't have made that decision?" asked Bulma softly, hoping to alleviate whatever guilt he felt over this.

He sighed and looked down, shrugging his shoulders. "I don't know," he said honestly. "But that doesn't mean I'll change my mind about helping her. Either way, I'm not letting her fight alone."

Bulma shook her head and sighed. Sometimes that boy was just too stubborn for his own good. "Well ok, if you say so. Good luck telling your mother about your new hobby."

"Yeah, that should be…fun," said Gohan hesitantly, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "I should probably go now, it's already really late, and if I'm not home soon, Goten will have finished all of the food." Waving goodbye, he jumped out the window and blasted off towards home.

The next day was just a regular old school day, and thanks to Gohan's help the day before, his three friends had aced their chemistry test and had A's to start off this year's grades. To celebrate, the four of them had gone out for ice cream, and were currently sitting at a table in the local ice cream parlor.

"Ah, that really hits the spot!" said Sharpner, eating his cone. "Nothing goes better with an A+ than two scoops of rocky road!"

"Forget rocky road, it's all about triple chocolate with hot brownies and fudge!" shouted Erasa, spooning up another delicious bite of heaven.

"I think you're both wrong," retorted Videl, eating her cookies and cream. "Mr.-thirty-one-flavors over here, however, has the right idea," she said, nodding at Gohan's bucket of ice cream.

"You say something?" he asked, his mouth full of food. The other three laughed as he gulped down his bite and went in for another scoop. Their happy moment was ruined as Videl's watch went off and she sighed in annoyance.

"It's been quiet today. I thought I'd finally go through a whole day without having to stop any crimes, but I guess I was wrong," she said, answering the call. "What's up Chief?"

"I'm really sorry to bother you, but there's a huge fire on Main Street! We've got ten people trapped up on the roof and we can't land a copter to fly them out. We'd send a crew up there to get them, but we've got everyone working on putting out the flames."  
"Don't worry about a thing; I'll be there in five minutes. Sorry everyone, but I've got to take this!" Throwing away her trash, she ran out the door and the familiar roar of her engine was heard before quickly fading away.

"I'm glad she takes care of the city and all, but I really wish she'd learn to take care of herself too," said Erasa, watching her best friend go. "I know she's tough, and I believe she'll make it out every time, but I still worry about her every now and then."

Gohan silently nodded his head in agreement, quickly finishing up his snack. Looking at his watch, he pretended to be late for something and hurriedly excused himself from the table. "Sorry, but I've got to run as well. My mom needs me home by five to help her with something."

"Alright, we'll see you later Gohan!" said Erasa, waving goodbye.

"Yeah, see you! Remember, tomorrow is the first day of boxing, so bring a change of clothes for after school," called Sharpner as he slipped out the door.

Running into an empty alleyway, Gohan pressed the button on his watch and transformed into a Super Saiyan, quickly following his nose to the scene of the fire. When he got there, his eyes widened at just how big the fire really was. An entire skyscraper was consumed by flames, and crews of firemen and policemen scurried around as they fought the inferno and went in search of those left inside. Searching for Videl's ki, he found her on the roof and quickly flew up there to assist.

On the roof, he found a small group of people huddled together in the middle, with Videl unsuccessfully trying to release the tap on a water tank. A loud explosion was heard and the building shook, causing the trapped men and women to cry out in fear. Eyes widening he watched as the roof began to crack and the water tank began to tip over as the foundation beneath it started to give way.

"Videl, get out of the way!" one of the men cried, watching in horror as the tank began to fall on her.

Videl, who had been struggling to release the valve, looked up just in time to see the tank come crashing down upon her. Shutting her eyes, she covered her head and stepped back, hoping to get away. There was a loud thud and she opened her eyes, realizing that the tank hadn't fallen. Eyes widening, she gasped at the sight before her.

A man with blonde, spiky hair, dressed in strange armor, stood above her, one hand effortlessly holding up what she knew to be a twenty ton water tank. "Let me help you miss," he said, smiling gently. Rearing his other fist back, he threw it forward and punched a giant hole through the side of the tank. Immediately, water gushed out and submerged the roof, quickly spilling through the numerous cracks and holes. Within minutes, the water had flooded all the way to the bottom, effectively putting out the fire.

"That was easy," he said, effortlessly lifting the now empty tank and laying it on a more stable part of the roof. Finding the door, he just as easily knocked away the rubble blocking it and led Videl and their party of victims back down to the bottom floor, safely guiding them through the still slightly unstable building.

With everyone safely outside, Gohan, who was disguised as the mysterious hero, quickly checked for any remaining ki in the building before turning to leave. However, just as he was about to fly off, an overly curious Videl stepped in his way.

"Thanks for your help," she said, crossing her arms. She hated to admit it, but if he hadn't shown up, she wasn't sure how they'd all have gotten out of there. He had been a great asset, but that didn't mean she had to like."Now, if you don't mind me asking, who are?"

"Me?" he asked, pretending to act clueless.

"Yes, you! Who else would I be talking to? That fire hydrant?" she asked crossly, pointing to the one behind him.

"I'm uh…" He paused and scratched his head, unsure of how to answer. He'd been too pre-occupied today and the day before with wanting to help that he had never stopped to think about what he'd call himself. He couldn't exactly go around telling everyone his real name. That'd just defeat the purpose of his disguise.

"Well?" she asked expectantly.

Names flashed through his mind at lightning speed as he tried to think of a name. The Gold Fighter? Nah, too…obvious. Sure, it'd match his hair and whatnot, but he wanted a cool name. The Great Saiyaman? Hm…that had a nice ring to it…

"My name is the Great—" He stopped suddenly as a new named popped to mind, one that made perfect sense to him. He had been named after his Dad's earthling grandfather, Grandpa Gohan. It only fit that, dressed and disguised in his Saiyan armor, he name his hero-self after his true grandfather.

Clearing his throat, he hastily corrected himself.

"My name is Bardock."

~~~InHisFather'sFootsteps~~~

A/N: Ooh, I bet none of you expected that huh? Lol, I bet at first, you thought he'd be Gold Fighter because of his costume, and then you thought it was going to be Saiyaman...but hah! Gotcha! I know some DBZ-purists out there are probably going to hate me for not choosing Gold Fighter or Saiyaman, as they're Gohan's usual superhero name, and although I do like the name Saiyaman, his poses were a bit...odd. Plus, I always wanted him to have an actual "name" instead of two words meshed together. Yeah, I'm probably gona get some hate for this chapter, but oh well. For those of you that did like my chapter, however...

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	8. First Date

Wow, so I think this is probably a first for me. I don't think I've ever posted a chapter one day, and then posted another one the next. New record for Swoofie! Yay! I think it was because I got a larger amount of reviews than normal - on a regular basis, I think I get about 4 or 5 per update, but this time I got 10! And that was just in one day! Lol, I know..not a huge amount of reviews for some of you other writers out there, but it really felt good to get that much feedback. I'm glad you all liked Gohan's alter-ego. Kakarot Son informed me in their review that Bardock had been used as his name in another fic, and I'd just like to clearify that I didn't steal that person's idea. I actually had to search through that fic to see what exactly what he was talking about. But yay for me, who likes to be somewhat original, he was called Gold Fighter in that fic but claimed Bardock to be his "real" name. So I think i'm in the clear for that. Anyway, another short-ish chapter (below 5k words is short for me) but I hope you still enjoy it! And if you want another FAST UPDATE like this one..you know what to do! **REVIEW!**

~~~InHisFather'sFootsteps~~~

**Chapter 8: First Date**

"Ugh! That stupid Bardock is seriously starting to get on my nerves!" cried Videl, dropping harshly down into her seat. "He's taking away my job!"

"What job?" asked the blonde, looking up from her teen fashion magazine. "You don't even get paid."

"So, what? It's still my job! I was here first!" she said, crossing her arms angrily, her irritation clearly visible. "Why can't he find some other city to protect? Satan City isn't the only place with crime y'know!"

"Good morning, Erasa, Videl," greeted Gohan, taking his seat on the other side of Erasa. "What's up?" Setting down his backpack, he proceeded to pull out his book and notepad.

"Oh, nothing much," replied Erasa. "Videl here is just complaining about how Bardock is 'taking away her job.' It's silly though, since really, he's just helping her out. I mean, ever since he showed up, the crime rate has dropped a good ten percent."

"Who cares!" said Videl indignantly. "I never asked for anyone's help! For the past month, he's done nothing but get in my way! I get a call, I go to the crime scene, and what do I find? That stupid jerk is already there, tying up the bad guys! Kami, he annoys the hell out of me! And what's with his looks! He's just some mindless, steroid-driven buffoon in armor! And what's up that horribly blonde hair of his!"

"Hey, there's nothing wrong with blonde," pouted Erasa, to which Gohan silently agreed. "Isn't it a _good_ thing that he's there anyway? I mean, you even told me that you grades are higher than they've ever been before, and you've had more free time to train and hang out. I thought you'd be happy that he was taking away some of your responsibilities. You have less to do now and a lot more freedom."

"Well, I guess if you put it _that_ way…" It was true, she had way more time to study and do homework and her grades had shot through the roof because of it. She got more time to train, and her skills were greatly improving. If things kept up like this, she had no doubts she could become stronger than her father. She also had way more time to spend with her friends, and wasn't running off in the middle of get-togethers like she usually did, which was something she could never complain about. "But _still_! He could leave some jobs for me! I mean, I hardly get to do anything anymore!"

"Oh, stop complaining Videl," interjected Sharpner, as he arrived and took his seat. "Now that Golden Boy is taking care of all the crime, that means you'll have plenty of time to go out on dates with me!"

"As if," scoffed Videl, glaring daggers at the blonde. She liked Sharpner, really she did; he and Erasa had been her best friends since childhood, but the boy seriously didn't know how to take 'no' for an answer. "I'd rather go on a date with Gohan than with you!" From behind his book, Gohan turned a brilliant shade of red.

"Gohan?" choked Sharpner, eyes wide in shock. "You'd rather go out with him than me! But I've known you for way longer; we have history together! Why would you do that? Gohan isn't ugly or anything, but look at him and then look at me! I'm gorgeous! No offense or anything, dude, but Gohan is just well…Gohan!"

"Hey! Offense! I take serious offense from that! I'm not _that_ bad looking," the Saiyan pouted, slightly hurt.

"Oh, of course you're not!" gushed Erasa, smiling sweetly at him. "You're cute, smart, funny, and don't think anyone hasn't caught a glimpse of what you really look like beneath that shirt! You're everything that a girl wants in a man! I'd die to go out on a date with a guy like you!"

"Err…thanks…I think," Gohan replied, blushing.

"It's true!" she continued. "I'd love to go out on a date with you!" She smiled at him expectantly, hands clasped tightly to his chest.

"Well then, um…" He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, unsure of what to do. Here was Erasa, practically begging to go on a date with him. What was he going to say? "Would you…like to…go out on a date…with me?" he finally asked, rather shyly. Erasa, although loud and ditzy, was a really nice girl, and pretty too. She was also a good friend and was the reason he was now part of their group. It couldn't hurt to take her out on _one_ date.

Erasa squealed, Videl's jaw dropped, and Sharpner fell out of his chair. Gohan had actually done it! He'd asked her out on a date. And here they were, having known him for a decent amount of time now, thinking that the poor boy was too naïve to even know what dating was! It was…unbelievable!

"Yes!" Erasa shouted happily, latching onto his arm. "I'd love to go on a date with you!"

"Heh, great…!" he said, smiling nervously back at her. However, before he could utter another word, their teacher walked in and began the day's lesson. "We'll talk about this after class, okay?" he whispered. Erasa nodded her head excitedly, brimming with happiness. Taking out her notebook, she began to draw random doodles. From the corner of his eye, Gohan watched her, sweat dropping as he saw what she drew.

'_Gohan and Erasa forever…XOXO…_' he read silently. '_Dear Dende, what have I gotten myself into…?_'

~~~InHisFather'sFootsteps~~~

"C'mon brat, don't tell me you've been slacking off with your training because of school," taunted Vegeta, blocking Gohan's punch and parrying with one of his own. Jumping over a kick, he twisted his body and flipped over the younger Saiyan, landing behind him and jumping away to put some distance between them.

"Hardly," retorted the teen, as he too jumped back, furthering the distance between himself and the prince. "I train every night at the Lookout from midnight till sunrise, and spar with Goten after dinner. Not to mention I fight with you almost every other day. Weekends are full-blown training sessions in the canyons, and I still occasionally spar with Tien, Chiaotzu, and Krillen…even Eighteen once in awhile if she's up for it. That's more than can be said for you."

"What's that supposed to mean!" barked Vegeta, powering up further.

Gohan smirked and stepped back into his stance, knowing that their short break was about to come to an end. "You spend your whole day in the GR fighting robots and shadows. If another villain attacked the Earth, would you be able to handle it once you realized you can't simply command it to 'turn off' if things got too hard for you?"

"Are you calling me weak? You're nothing but the son of a third-class warrior! I am the Prince of all Saiyans and nothing…_**NOTHING**_…is too difficult for me to defeat! And that means you too! Today is the day you finally go down _Kakabrat_!" Vegeta snarled, bursting into Super Saiyan. Gritting his teeth and clenching his fists, he continued to power up, powerful gusts of wind pulsing from his body as it glowed a brilliant gold.

'_Wow, he sure has gotten a lot more powerful,_' thought Gohan, flaring his own ki to protect himself from the harsh effects of Vegeta's power-up. '_I can tell he's beyond ready to reach the next level of Super Saiyan. He just needs that extra push to get him over the edge…_'

"Prepare yourself to witness the power of a true Saiyan warrior!" said Vegeta, as he disappeared in a flash. Sensing the prince behind him, Gohan phased away and powered up to Super Saiyan, knowing that the real battle was about to begin.

Throwing a ki blast, Vegeta growled as Gohan flipped away. Flying towards him, he threw a vicious right hook, hoping to teach the boy a lesson in respect. Gohan leaned back and with his palm, pushed Vegeta's fist away, quickly spinning around and hitting him with a backhand to the head. He smirked victoriously, only to receive a knee to the gut in retaliation. Groaning slightly, he grabbed the older Saiyan by the shoulders and pulled him forward, smashing his forehead against his.

They both winced in pain, stumbling away from each other. Vegeta, ignoring the aching throb in his head, swiftly took advantage of the situation and fired a small blast while Gohan was preoccupied. However, Gohan sensed the attack and quickly regained his bearings. Jumping up, he did a front-flip over the fast approaching beam of energy, rolling forward on the ground where he landed directly in front of the older male. Springing up, he threw up his fist, nailing Vegeta with a hard uppercut to the jaw.

Their fight continued like this for another hour or two, neither letting the other get the upper hand. Finally, they had to call it quits when Bulma yelled at Vegeta to take Trunks to the park, threatening to take away the GR for a week if he didn't. As the reluctant prince and his energetic heir took off towards the nearby playground, Gohan rested quietly on the couch, sipping a glass of water offered to him by Bulma.

"So, how's the whole super hero thing working out for you?" she asked, sitting down next to him. "I've seen stories about you on the news and they're saying Satan City has never been safer, now that it has two people assisting the police."

"Oh yeah, it's going great," answered Gohan, setting down his glass and stretching his back, sighing in relief as it cracked. "The people really seem to like me! Everyone is glad that I'm helping out; well, everyone except Videl. We were talking in school today and she kept going on and on about how 'Bardock' was stealing her job. I thought she'd be happy, but I guess not…"

"I can understand that," said Bulma.

"You can?" he asked, confused. "Why wouldn't she be happy? She has so much more time to do things that she wants to do!"

"Gohan, Gohan, _Gohan_…you still have _so_ much to learn," she laughed, shaking her head. "Fighting crime **IS** what she wants to do. Sure, she can train and hang out with friends more often, but crime fighting is her passion and she probably feels like you're taking that away from her."

"Oh, I never really thought of it that way," he answered, scratching the side of his head timidly. "I guess I was so focused on trying to protect her and the city, that I just thought that no one would mind. Maybe I should talk to her next time I meet with her as 'Bardock.'"

"That might be a good idea."

"Yeah, thanks Bulma. Oh, err…I know I've been asking a lot of you lately, but there's another favor I want to ask you by the way…"

"Yeah, sure, you know I'm always here to help," she said, motioning for him to continue.

"Umm…well, y-you see Bulma…the-there's this girl," he stuttered, the tell tale signs of a blush beginning to form on his cheeks. "Anyway…I sort of…asked her out on a date. It's not really a favor, I could just really use some advice, and if I went to my mother, I know she'd instantly start gushing about grandbabies…"

"Oh my gosh!" Bulma shrieked, throwing her arms around him as she hugged him tightly. "Little Gohan is all grown up and going on his first date! Who's the lucky girl?"

"Her name is Erasa," he responded, his face burning with embarrassment.

"What's she like Gohan? Do you really like her?" asked Bulma, finally letting go of him.

"Of course I like her. She was my first friend at school and is a really nice girl, if not a little ditzy. But I don't know if I actually _like_ her, like her. But I know that she likes me; that's for sure! She's been hinting that she wanted to go out on dates with me since we met. Anyway, I thought that since she's always been so nice to me, I might give it a shot…"

"That's sweet," Bulma cooed. "Imagine what would happen if you two fell madly in love with each other. It's like the whole 'friends turn into something more' kind of thing! Wouldn't that be so romantic?" she cried, hearts appearing in her eyes.

"I doubt that's going to happen."

"You never know," she teased, nudging him playfully. "Anyway, enough of that; what do you want to know?"

"Well, honestly, everything," he said, shrugging. "Like, what do you do on a date? Where do you go? I've never done this before Bulma! I don't know what to do! Please help me…"

"Relax Gohan," said Bulma, giving him a comforting pat on the back. "It's simple, really. On a date, you just go out and have some fun. You could take her to a theme park, or maybe start things off slow and talk over coffee. It all depends on the other person and kind of things they want to do."

"Really? Is that it? Whenever Mom watches her soap operas on TV, they make dates look like such a big deal…"

"That's TV Gohan, not real life. Dating is sort of like a test…to see how compatible you are with someone, to see if they could be a potential spouse."

"Whoa, wait a minute! Spouse! I don't want to get married yet!" he cried, visibly panicked.

"I never said that, Gohan!" she shouted, rolling her eyes. "I'm just saying that's the overall point of dating. But that doesn't mean you have to marry the girl!"

"Oh thank Dende," he said, relieved. "So all I have to do is take her to the movies, or get something to eat?"

"That's about it."

"All right, that doesn't seem too hard. Well, I think I've stayed long enough. Mom should be expecting me home anytime soon anyway. Thanks a lot for the advice!" Waving goodbye, he walked out the door and flew home.

~~~InHisFather'sFootsteps~~~

"So what do you want to do, Gohan?" asked Erasa, looking up at him with her big blue eyes.

"Whatever you want to do," he said shrugging. "We could watch a movie, get something to eat, go to the circus…the possibilities are endless!"

"I'm actually pretty hungry, so maybe we could go get something to eat and then catch a movie?" she suggested.

"Sounds like a plan!" he said, smiling. "Where would you like to eat?"

"There's a small restaurant across the street. Let's go there!" she said, pointing to a quaint café on the other side of the road. Taking his hand—which caused him to blush brightly—she led him across the street and into the restaurant.

"Table for two, please," he said to waitress, who nodded her head and brought them to an empty stall. Quickly letting go of Erasa's hand, he pulled the chair out for her. She smiled at him in thanks and sat down, and he pushed her closer to the table.

"You two are such a cute couple!" said the waitress, smiling kindly.

"Oh, were not…I mean…" stuttered Gohan, glancing at Erasa. Seeing him panic, she quietly chuckled, before deciding to come to his rescue.

"It's only our first date," she explained.

"Oh, I'm sorry…" the waitress apologized, clearly embarrassed. "Well, umm…what can I get you two? Would you like me to get you some drinks while you're looking at your menus?"

"I'll have a diet coke," said Erasa, opening up her menu.

"I'll have iced tea, please," Gohan said, as he too opened up his menu. "Oh, and if you wouldn't mind, could you please also bring a pitcher of water for the table."

"That's no trouble at all. I'll be back with your drinks and to take your order. I'm Hana by the way." Turning around, she walked into the kitchen to grab their drinks.

"See anything you like?" Gohan asked, in an attempt to start up a conversation.

"Well this chicken Caesar salad is really looking good right now, but then there's this chicken Alfredo, and I haven't had pasta in forever!" she exclaimed, clearly unsure of what to get.

"Well, if you get the salad, I'll get the pasta and you can have some of mine," Gohan offered.

"Really, are you sure? I know you eat a lot and I don't want you hungry the rest of the night…"

"Yeah, don't worry about it. I ate a snack before I came," he replied. He had made sure to eat before going on their date, so that he wouldn't waste all his money on just food.

"You're the best Gohan!" she said, smiling brightly at him. "Oh, look! Here's Hana!"

"Hey, sorry to make you guys wait," she said, setting down their beverages. "Our soda machine was backed up. Anyway, have you two decided on what to order?" asked Hana, taking out a pen and notepad.

"I'll have the chicken Caesar salad," said Erasa.

"Okay," said Hana, writing down her order. "And what about you, sir? What will you be having tonight?"

"I'll have the chicken Alfredo," Gohan said, handing her his and Erasa's menus. "Can I get an extra plate along with it, so that we can share?"

"Of course you can!" said Hana, pocketing their order. "Your food will be right up!"

"So…how's school?" asked Gohan, as he once again attempted to get a conversation going.

"It's okay, I guess. I mean, school is school, right?" she replied casually. "But let's talk about something else. We're on a date, not a study session!"

"Oh, erm…okay. What do you feel like talking about?" he asked.

"Tell me about yourself, Gohan. We've known each other for about a month, but I don't know all that much about you. Like, tell me about your family, or what you like to do when you're not studying, or doing your martial arts thing."

"Well, I have a younger brother," Gohan started. "His name is Goten, and he's seven. He's a handful to take care of, but I love him all the same. Then there's my mom. She's well…she's just crazy. If you don't do what she tells you to, most likely she'll hit you with her frying pan."

"_A frying pan?_ Doesn't that like…hurt?"

"Yeah, it does…a lot," Gohan replied smiling, as he rubbed the back of his head fondly. The Frying Pan of Doom…when wielded by someone like his mother, it'd make even the Prince of all Saiyans run in fear (which it has on numerous occasions, though Vegeta would never admit it). They continued talking, exchanging stories and answering each others' questions. Even after they had finished their meal, they sat in the restaurant talking, until it was finally time to close.

"I'm really sorry you guys, but the restaurant is about to close," said Hana, coming over to their table.

"Oh wow, I didn't realize that we'd been here so long!" said Erasa.

"Yeah, I was having such a good time, that I guess I lost track of time," Gohan said, standing up. He pulled Erasa's chair out and helped her up, before walking to the cashier and paying. Shyly, he took Erasa's hand—something which caused her to giggle and turn pink—and led her outside.

"I guess we won't be able to catch that movie you wanted to see," said Gohan, looking at his watch.

"Oh it's okay," Erasa replied. "Let's just walk downtown a bit; is that alright with you?"

"As long as I'm with you, that's fine by me!" he replied, blushing. At the beginning of their date, he had decided on having just one date with her. However, he had really enjoyed talking with her, and had such a great time, that he was beginning to think that this one date might turn into several more.

"Oh, you're such a cutie!" she cried, clinging to him tightly. Together, they walked the streets of downtown Satan City, taking in the sights of the night life. Finding their way to the park, Erasa sat on the swing as Gohan gently pushed her forward.

"Higher, Gohan!" she said, laughing as he pushed a little harder. "Push me higher!"

"You got it!" he responded, pushing her even higher.

"Hey, maybe if you push hard enough, I'll jump into the air and fly away!" she said, smiling. "Maybe, I'll fly high enough that I'll reach the stars! Wouldn't that be amazing, Gohan?"

"Yeah, it would be," he responded, memories of his adventures into space flashing through his mind. If you thought the stars looked beautiful down on Earth, imagine how beautiful they looked when you were passing by, right next to them? Suddenly, an idea popped into his mind and he grinned mischievously. "Hey, Erasa?" he said, still pushing her.

"Yeah?" she asked.

"You said you wanted to fly, right?"

"It'd be nice to, but you know that's impossible," she replied, tilting her head back to look at him. "Well, impossible unless we were in a spaceship!"

"Trust me, Erasa, there's more than one way to fly!"

"How so?"

"Well, like…_THIS!_" With a strong push, Erasa flew off the swing and high into the air.

"Gohan!" she screamed, her arms flailing around herself. "You better catch me!" she yelled, as she began to lose height and fall.

"Gotcha!" Gohan said, easily catching her in his arms, bridal style. He grinned as she playfully swatted him on the head.

"You idiot! Don't ever do that again!" she said, angrily. "I could've seriously gotten hurt!"

"Oh, jeez Erasa, I'm sorry," he said half-heartedly. The young blonde girl crossed her arms and looked away, letting out a loud "Hmph!" A second later though, she burst out laughing.

"Well, maybe I wasn't able to reach the moon," she said, "but at least I landed safely in the arms of my prince charming."

Gohan gave fake look of surprise. "Prince charming, eh? Now who would that be? Do I know him?"

"Maybe…"

"Aww, c'mon Erasa! Tell me! Please?" he pouted falsely. "It's not Sharpner, is it? It is, isn't it!" he cried, in fake anguish.

"No, silly! It's you!" Erasa said, rolling her eyes at his silly antics. "Oh, you can put me down now."

"What if I don't want to?" Gohan teased, tightening his grip on her. Erasa laughed and tried to get out of his grasp, but he was just too strong.

"Fine, be that way!" she said in mock anger. Moments later, her "anger" gave way to a bright smile, and she placed her arms around Gohan's neck. "You know what, Gohan?"

"What?"

"I wish you were more like this at school."

"What do you mean?" he asked, confused.

"Well, at school, you're kind of boring. You're such a goody-goody sometimes. I mean, yeah, you've got your Boxing club thing, and you laugh and talk during lunch, but you're still so…different. You're a lot tenser when we're at school. I've noticed it whenever we all hang out after school. But right now, you're not like that. You're fun, more outgoing, and you've opened up today more than you have the entire month you've been at school. This is the real you, I can tell."

"Do you like the real me?"

"Yeah, the dorky you was cute, but the real you is ten times better!" she said. "You know Gohan; I really like you, more so than a friend…" Erasa said, blushing brightly.

"Well, you know what Erasa?" he asked.

"Yeah…?"

"I really like you too!" he said, smiling down at her.

"If you like me, and I like you…then where does that leave us?"

Gohan blushed brightly, before saying, "Well, maybe…if-if you want, we could…you know…be…together…"

"You mean it?" Erasa asked eyes wide in hope. She really, _really_ liked Gohan. He wasn't like the other guys at school. He was kind and considerate, and he knew exactly how treat a girl right. Gohan, he was something special, and if her ears heard her right, then right now, he was asking if they could be a couple.

Gohan nodded his head shyly. Erasa was wonderful to be around, and he really enjoyed her company. She was one of the few people he could be himself around, minus the alien-superpower kind of things. He was starting to realize that he liked Erasa a lot more than he let on, and he wanted to see if he could possibly take a step up in their relationship.

"Yes, Gohan! Of course!" she finally yelled, putting her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly. He tried to hug her back, though it was kind of hard, seeing as he was holding her up. He felt Erasa kiss him softly on the cheek and his face turned several shades of red.

Their moment was abruptly ended as a dozen cop cars drove past, their sirens blaring loudly. The newly formed couple watched as the vehicles made their way down the street, eyes widening as they found their destination. City hall was surrounded by a number of vehicles, with heavily armed men positioned behind them. Up the steps, at the door of the building, stood a giant of a man, the mayor held stiffly in one hand, the other hand holding a pistol pointed directly at the mayor's head.

Immediately, Gohan put Erasa down. "I have to go," he said, running in the direction of the mob. "I'll see you at school on Monday!"

"Wait, Gohan! Where are you going?" Erasa cried, watching him leave. "Please don't tell me you're going to help! The police will take care of it! Please, Gohan! Don't go!"

"Don't worry!" he shouted, waving goodbye, before picking up his speed. About a block away from City Hall, he walked into an empty alleyway and pressed the red button on his watch. With a flash of light, his clothes were replaced by his armor and he ascended to Super Saiyan.

Taking to the air, he took in the scene before him. Utter chaos. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Erasa on the ground, running in the direction he had taken off to, frantically searching for him. He felt a stab of guilt for leaving her there, especially after they had just gotten together, but he pushed that thought to the back of his mind. People were in danger and they needed his help. Taking a deep breath, he flew straight into the heat of things.

Erasa may have needed Gohan, but tonight, Satan City needed Bardock.

~~~InHisFather'sFootsteps~~~

A/N: I expected some hate last chapter for changing Gohan's hero-name, but Bardock was well-received, much to my delight. I do, however, expect some hate or something of the likes for Gohan's first date because well, I got hate for it the first time I posted this story too. Some person out there is probably going to be like "YOU IDIOT! WTH ARE YOU PUTTING HIM WITH ERASA FOR! THIS IS GH/V! *haaaaate*" But honestly, really..in the original anime, Gohan had a date with that Angela girl and she was a total bitch. I thought it'd be nice for Gohan to have his first date with a nice, respectable girl, and who better than Erasa? I know, I know..some of you are probably thinking "Gohan and Videl can only be together! They can't have been with anyone else!" and blah, blah, blah. Really? Do you really think married couples were each others' first and only gf/bf? Although I don't want to give too much away, all you Gh/V purists out there calm down. This doesn't last long and it does have a significant, if not small, role in the overall storyline. Now, as I said in my first A/N at the beginning, and as I always do at the end..

**REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW!** (please and thank you! Remember, _more reviews = faster update!_)


	9. Bardock and Gohan to the Rescue!

I apologize for the super, duper long wait. I was hoping to post this up only a day or two after my last update, but a lot of issues came up that had to be dealt with. Sorry to say, but writing fanifction comes in 4th or 5th place on my list of things-to-do and I just had no time to do this chapter. I'm glad many of you reviewed, and I'm relieved that I received no hate for pairing Gohan with Erasa first. This chapter has some action small action, which has been a little lacking in the last few chapters, for all of you who like it. Plus, it continues on developing Gohans (currently lacking) relationship with Videl, which I know many of you have been waiting for. This chapter is sort of all over the place in terms of action, drama, and hopefully a little bit of humor, and I really hope you enjoy it.

~~~InHisFather'sFootsteps~~~

**Chapter 9: Bardock and Gohan to the Rescue!**

"Videl! Oh, thank Kami you're here," said the Chief, as she jumped out of her copter. "The Green Bandits have taken over city hall and they've got a large number of hostages inside. They want one million zenni per person, plus twenty million for the mayor! We've counted their forces, and from what we can see, they have a sniper on every corner of the roof, ten men surrounding the building, and at least half a dozen men inside. And to top it all off, they say they have a bomb!"

"This is bad," sighed Videl, crossing her arms. "If I can lead a team inside somehow, we can free the hostages and disarm the bomb. That'd leave us with just the guys outside and the mayor as a hostage."

"I've had my men look into it," replied the Chief, pulling out a map. "Back when Cell was still terrorizing the world, city hall went through reconstruction and several underground escape routes were created. The nearest tunnel exit is a few blocks away."

"Great. Assemble a team of your best men and meet back here in five minutes." As the Chief ordered one of his cops to gather a handful of others, Videl looked over the map he had given her. From what she could see, the tunnel led directly to the mayor's office, in the middle of the building. If they could tap into the security cameras, she could get a better idea of the situation and figure out where everyone was.

"Chief, do you have eyes on the inside?" she asked.

"Yeah, I've got Sgt. Sato and his team watching through their security cameras. He's in the tent to the right if you want to get more information."

Nodding her head in thanks, she rushed off into the makeshift tech lab, where tables, laptops, and another handful of devices were set up. Spotting her target, she asked him to give her a brief overview of what it was like inside.

"Well, there are men guarding the back door and another guy in front of the door to the roof. Aside from that, everyone else, including the hostages, are inside the main lobby. The bomb, from what we can tell, is basic C-4 and if you can get one of our guys in there, we can easily disarm it."

"Alright, I'll keep in touch with you. I have the Chief assembling a small infiltration team as we speak, and I want you to guide us once we're inside. If you see anyone coming our way, tell us ahead of time so we can react," she said.

"Yes ma'am," Sgt. Sato replied, nodding his head. He gave her a small earpiece to communicate with him and walked back over to the Chief.

"Videl, I've gathered a small, four-man team to assist you inside. Capt. Kenta, as you already know, is one of our most distinguished officers and his team members are well on their way to becoming just like him. They're the best of the best!" said the Chief, as she came back.

"One of them knows how to disarm a bomb right?" When he nodded, she continued, "Good. Sato said it was basic C-4, so getting to it should be the only problem we have. I have a connection with him through my earpiece, and he'll guide us through the building once inside. Now, someone take us to the tunnel so we can get this over with."

Speaking into his walkie-talkie, the Chief called up a truck, and the five of them got in the back. He gave their escort a few instructions before nodding his head dismissively and telling the driver to go. "Good luck!" he called, as they drove off.

A minute later they arrived at a small, shady looking building. The driver told them to go inside and follow the stairs down, which would lead them to the tunnel. Jumping out of the back, Videl and her team did as he said and went inside. Running down the stairs, they found a large metal door, which they opened to find a long, dark tunnel ahead of them.

"Flashlights on!" Videl commanded, as the four behind her took out their lights, and the Captain handed her an extra. Turning it on, she led the way, rushing her way through the tunnel. A minute or two later, they arrived at another door. Giving them all a small break to catch their breath, Videl spoke into her communicator.

"Sgt. Sato, this is Videl. Can you hear me?"

"This is Sgt. Sato speaking. I can hear you loud and clear!" he answered.

"Good. We've just reached the door leading inside. Can you check to see if anyone is around the mayor's office?"

"You're all clear, Videl!"

"Thanks." Waving her hand at the men, she quietly opened the door and motioned for them to follow. Peeking her head into the room, she rolled to the ground behind the mayor's desk, the others quickly following her example. When the last man was out, the door, which they now saw was hidden as a large picture frame, was shut so anyone passing by wouldn't notice. Huddling together behind the desk, they planned out their next move.

"Sato, it's Videl again. Has anyone moved?" she asked. Around her, Kenta and his men began checking their weapons, making sure everything was locked and loaded and ready to go.

"Negative. Everyone is still in their positions," came her reply. "Turn on your watch, and I'll send a live-feed of the main lobby so you know exactly where everyone is."

Turning it on, she and the four men looked down as video of the situation appeared on her screen. "Thanks a lot Sato!" she said, now turning to her team. "Okay boys, we know from experience that the Green Bandits will not hesitate to shoot us, or maybe even one of the hostages when we get in there. We're going to have to do this quick, before they have to react, or else we're all screwed."

"Yes ma'am," they all replied.

"Our first priority is the safety of the hostages and the bomb. Shoot the men by them first, and then take care of everyone else. Is that understood?" When they all nodded their head in understanding, she quietly crept her way to the door and looked out into the hall. Seeing no one in sight, she waved them over and the five silently snuck their way towards the main lobby. Looking back towards her watch, she made sure everyone was still in their original place before nodding her head in the direction of the lobby. Taking this as their signal, the four men jumped out from the hall and shot the men standing around the hostages and bomb.

"What the hell!" cried one of the bandits, as he watched his partner and several others go down. "Holy crap, how did they get in here?"

The four police scattered as the remaining crooks took out their guns and fired, hiding themselves behind pillars or desks. Their attention focused on the police, no one noticed Videl until it was too late as she too jumped out of the hallway and knocked out the nearest bad guy. Her teammates provided cover-fire as she went from one guy to the next, smashing their faces in with well-deserved Satan punches. When the coast was clear Kenta and his men gathered around the bomb and quickly dismantled it.

"We're in the clear now, Videl," said Kenta, as the bomb was safely put away.

"Good. Now we just need to get the hostages out of here and things should turn in our favor. Have your three men escort these people back through the passage while you and I go out and have a talk with their leader." As the other cops rallied the frightened men and women, she and Kenta walked to the front door and kicked it open, revealing the leader of the Green Bandits and the mayor, who was held at gunpoint.

"How nice of you to finally join us, Miss Satan. I was beginning to think you'd never show up. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Shiro, leader of the Green Bandits and coordinator of tonight's festivities. Tell me, have you been enjoying yourself?" he asked. He was a large, muscular man, around 6'5, dressed in black and green camouflage pants, and a tight, dark green muscle-tee.

"I was having a good night until I got called in to kick your sorry ass!" she shouted angrily. "You know how this is going to end, so why don't you do everyone a favor and give up now before I make you look like a fool!"

"Me? Hah, I think you're sorely mistaken girl, for it is I who will make you look like the fool," Shiro shot back, smirking sinisterly. "Isn't that right…Kenta?"

Videl's eyes widened as she looked over to the other man, only to come nose to nose with the barrel of his gun, her stomach dropping in sudden realization. Looking past it, she locked eyes with him and was surprised to find him nearly in tears, his body shaking fearfully. '_What is going on?_' she thought.

"I-I'm sorry Videl," Kenta stammered, still shaking. "He has this whole thing planned out and already knew about those secret tunnels. He has my family, and called me earlier today and said if I didn't go along with his plans, he'd kill them. I'm sorry! Please, forgive me…"

"Kenta, it's ok—oomph!" She was suddenly grabbed in a tight hold and turned just in time to see the mayor get kicked down the stairs, where he landed painfully against the concrete. Two men came and picked him up, dragging him towards the barrier and tossing him over to the police's side. "Wh-what…what's going on!"

"I never wanted the mayor," said Shiro, gripping her tighter. "I wanted you…or more specifically, I wanted your father, and what better way to get him out here than to take his daughter hostage?"

"You bastard," she shouted, struggling to break free. "My father has way more important things to do than deal with dirt-bags like you!" She cried out in pain as he suddenly elbowed her hard in the side.

"Now, now little missy. Such a foul mouth for such a pretty girl," Shiro teased. "Didn't your Daddy ever teach you any manners?"

"Shut up! If you think my father will come, then you're sorely mistaken. He doesn't have time for worthless guys like you!"

"Then I guess you're out of luck," he shrugged, bringing his gun to her temple. "Goodbye, Miss Satan." Just as his finger was on the trigger, the gun was suddenly disintegrated by a golden flash of light.

Looking out towards her savior, Videl gave out an almost relieved sigh. "Bardock!"

Bardock, a.k.a. Gohan, landed next to the Chief of Police and quickly got a summary of what was going on. Videl and her team had been sent in about ten minutes ago to take them down from the inside out. As he and the Chief were talking tactics, the front door of city hall burst open and Videl, along with another cop, rushed out. He and the men around him watched on as the three exchanged words, surprised as Kenta turned on the Satan girl and the mayor was released.

"Someone go get a medic!" called the Chief, as the mayor was tossed over the barriers. As people began to bustle around, Bardock continued to watch the scene at the top of the steps unfold. He felt his blood begin to boil as he watched his friend grabbed in a tight hold, his fists clenching tightly as he saw the man raise a gun to her head.

Growling softly to himself, he raised his arm and aimed, gathering a small amount of ki in the palm of his hand. Making sure it would be a clean shot he fired off a small blast of ki, effectively destroying the weapon. Using his super speed, he instantaneously appeared at the two's side, letting out a small smile as Videl cried out his name in shocked surprised.

Phasing behind Shiro, Bardock grabbed his arms and pinned them behind his back, releasing Videl from the much larger man's grip. Keeping his arms locked together, the Saiyan peered at her from the side, nodding his head upwards at Shiro. "I know you don't like having your act stolen, so why don't you do the honors of knocking this giant muscle-bag out."

Videl smiled and nodded her head, glad to pay Shiro back for that elbow to the gut. "Gladly," she replied. Jumping up, she spun around and delivered a swift, reverse roundhouse kick to his head. Landing on her feet, she slid up close in front of him, rearing her arm back. Swinging it forward as fast and as hard as she could, she slammed her elbow into his stomach, giving a satisfied smirk as he groaned loudly in pain.

"Well that was fast," said Bardock, as Shiro slumped to the ground unconscious. Setting the man down, he looked out at the remaining Green Bandits, who stood around the barrier in scared silence. He noticed a few brave men brandish their guns and he knew the fight was not yet over. "Looks like we still have a few more things to take care of, Miss Videl. I'll take the roof while you start on the group down here; sound good?"

She nodded her head and jumped down the stairs, yelling out a fierce battle cry as she charged towards the nearest gunman. Laughing slightly at her enthusiasm, Bardock quickly flew to the roof and landed. The four snipers immediately turned from their spots and fired at him. Flaring his ki, he was surrounded by a bright, golden aura that immediately disintegrated the bullets on impact. Realizing that their guns wouldn't do, they took the _obviously_ smarter decision and threw their rifles aside, pulling out blades from their pockets and holsters.

"You've got to be kidding me," he mumbled, ducking beneath a fist as he spun around and grabbed one of the gunmen, who had attempted to sneak up behind him. Effortlessly, he threw him into the wall, effectively knocking him out. Turning back around, he was met with a knife to the chest, to which his attacker laughed victoriously. When he didn't drop dead, the confused gang member pulled back the dagger, expecting to find blood. Instead, he found the blade had been smashed flat. Unsure of what to do, he stabbed it back at Bardock's chest and pulled it back once again, hoping to get a better result.

"What the hell man!" he cried, continuing to stab at the superhero's chest. Over and over, he shoved it at Bardock's chest, expecting a different result every time. Instead, the blonde hero merely stared down at him, uncertain of whether or not to laugh or cry at the man's stupidity. In all honestly, what should have been searing pain only felt like a small prod, and he soon realized he was wasting time watching this man's futile attempt at harming him. Quickly, Bardock hit him in the side of the neck and knocked him out.

"We surrender!" The last two snipers shouted, as he turned to face them. Seeing him take a knife several times, only to come out unscathed, was a sure sign anything they could do would have no effect. Better to give in than risk injury trying to do the impossible.

"Good choice," said Bardock, appearing behind them. "But just in case…" He grabbed their heads and smashed them together, knocking them both out simultaneously. Finding a long cord attached to one of their belts, which he assumed would be used to repel down the roof in case of emergency, the Saiyan tied the four men together and left them to be picked up later. Launching himself over the side of the roof, he landed back down on the street, where Videl had mostly taken care of the remaining gang members.

Deciding to let her take care of it, he watched as she jumped a man and beat him to the ground within seconds. Only a minute later, the rest had been defeated, leaving her standing proudly in a pile of unconscious men. Quickly, the police took down the barriers and rushed in to take over, handcuffing them and leading them to cop cars.

"There are four more on the roof," said Bardock to a passing cop, who nodded his head and made a comment into his walkie-talkie. Knowing that he was no longer needed, he turned to leave, only to be stopped by Videl.

"Bardock, wait!" she said, running up to him.

"Yes?" he asked, facing her.

"I don't usually like help, but I'm really glad you stepped in tonight," said Videl, averting her eyes. It wasn't common that she needed someone's assistance, let alone thanking them for their help. "So…thanks, a lot. You saved my life today."

"It was no problem at all, Miss Videl," Bardock replied, nodding his head. He turned once more to leave when he was stopped again, this time as his conversation with Bulma came to mind. "By the way, there was something I'd like to say to you…"

"What is it?" she asked curiously. From what she knew of him, Bardock was a man of few words, so if he had something to say, she wanted to hear it.

"I want you to know that I'm not trying to take your place as the city's protector," he said softly. "I, like you, cannot sit idly by as others do evil, while I know I have to power to stop them. I only wish to help out, and meant no offense to you when I began fighting crime. I may be the newest crime fighter on the block, but no matter what, no matter how many others come to fight alongside you, Satan City will always need you, Miss Videl."

She stared at him in surprise, confused by his sudden statement. How did he know that she had been feeling like he was taking her job? Sure, she gave Bardock a hard time, but she never out-right told him to stop helping. She'd only told her friends that he was getting on her nerves. Did he somehow know her? Or maybe, along with super strength, speed, and the ability to fly, he also had super sensitive hearing. But even then, she doubted he could hear beyond maybe a mile or two…could he? She didn't know, but it still confused her.

When Videl didn't say anything for about a minute or two, Bardock began to take a few steps back, deciding that he should just leave. Slipping into a nearby alley, he waited to see if she would follow, but she didn't, so he jumped to the roof and pressed the button on his watch, turning back into Gohan. Reverting back to his normal Saiyan state, he made sure no one was looking before jumping back down and walking away.

"Oh my gosh; Gohan! There you are!" Turning his head, the Saiyan's eyes shot open in surprise as Erasa's tiny frame slammed into his much bigger one. She hugged him tightly, burying her face against his chest as his arms closed securely around her.

"Where the heck did you go?" she cried, pulling back slightly. "You just ran off and I couldn't find you at all! It's like you just disappeared!"

Gohan quietly hugged her back, unsure of what to say. He had been stupid to run off like that without a proper excuse and if he didn't think of something quick, he'd pay for it dearly. "Uh, well…you see…I-I parked my car across from city hall," he stuttered, mentally punching himself for such a ridiculous excuse. His car was a capsule car! He didn't really need to park if he didn't have to.

"So…?" Luckily for him, Erasa never thought about his car being a capsule.

"W-well my mom said that if I destroyed another car s-she'd home-school me again, and I didn't want it to, uh…y'know, be caught in any crossfire," he finished lamely. Silently, he prayed to Dende to lend him a hand and he let out a thankful sigh when the blonde nodded her head and accepted his explanation. The two continued hugging, both relieved but for different reasons. Erasa was glad that her friend, now boyfriend was safe and wouldn't be taken out of school, and Gohan was happy to have kept his secret, well, a secret.

~~~InHisFather'sFootsteps~~~

"I know they say that all it takes is a good woman to change a man, but you've really outdone yourself with Gohan!" said Sharpner, sitting down at their usual lunch spot beneath a tree. "I mean, the old Gohan was pretty cool, if not a little too stiff and proper, but he's definitely been different since the two of you got together." The couple themselves sat together across from him; Gohan sat leaning against the tree, Erasa between his legs leaning her back comfortably against his chest. One of Gohan's hands was held protectively around her waist, the other hand absentmindedly playing with her short blonde hair.

"You say something, Sharpner?" asked Erasa, looking up from her textbook.

"Jeez, you two have been together a little over a week and you already act is if you two are the only ones around!" he said, biting into his sandwich.

"Tch, whatever," she replied, rolling her eyes as she placed her book back into her bag. "We still have twenty minutes before lunch ends, right?" she asked, looking up at Gohan. He nodded his head and she smiled. "Good, I think I'm going to take a quick power nap. Can you be my pillow?"

"Sure, I could use a small nap myself," he answered, shifting his position. Grabbing his bag, he propped it up as a pillow and lay down. Erasa smiled and lay down next to him, wrapping her arms around his waist as she rested her head against his chest. Gohan smiled back and wrapped one arm around her, holding her close as he placed his other arm behind him to cradle his head. Closing her eyes, Erasa quickly fell asleep.

"Aww, how cute!" squealed a passing girl to her friend, one Gohan recognized to be a senior in his advanced physics class.

"Y'know, you and Erasa have become one of the most talked about couples at school," said Sharpner, finishing his sandwich. Grabbing his apple, he took a bite and chewed slowly in contemplation. "It really shocked the school the first day you two walked through the gates, hand in hand. I mean Erasa is one of the most popular and sought after girls in our school, and could easily have any guy that she wanted. But instead of the football captain, or one of Hercule's students, like everyone expected, she chose you. Not that there's anything wrong with you. I know you had your 15-minutes of fame the second day of school, and you've become one of the Boxing team's top competitors, but you're still the 'new guy', and some people still label you as just a nerd."

"I see…" said Gohan, looking down at his sleeping girlfriend. Silently, he hoped that by dating him, her social status hadn't been tarnished in anyway. He knew that she enjoyed being in the middle of all the gossip and news.

Sharpner, seeing the slightly worried look on the other male's face, quickly continued, "Dude, don't worry. Dating you hasn't brought her down a notch at all on the social ladder. In fact, it's probably boosted it. Besides, out of all the guys at this school, I don't think anyone could treat her better than you do. You're a genuinely nice guy. Unlike some of her other boyfriends…"

"Other boyfriends…like who?" asked a curious Gohan.

"Like that jerk, Miyazaki Sato," said Videl, as she sat down next to him. She had stayed behind in class a few extra minutes to finish a test she had to run out of due to a robbery, and was just now coming out for lunch. "That stupid idiot tried to date-rape her last year."

"He did what?" Gohan growled, eyes flashing turquoise for a second before turning back to their normal black. Videl, who had been looking at him at the time, stared at him oddly, having seen the change in eye color. But she bit her tongue and held back from saying anything, playing it off as a trick of the mind.

"Don't worry Gohan," she said, in an attempt to calm him down. "I sent that asshole to jail with a maximum sentencing."

The Saiyan visibly relaxed, but remained in a somewhat bad mood the remainder of lunch, the idea of anyone trying to harm a loved one not settling well with his protective instincts. As the bell rang sometime later, he gently shook the sleeping Erasa awake. Slowly but surely, her eyes opened, the sleepy expression on her face replaced with a soft smile as she looked up at Gohan.

"Hey there, sleepyhead," he teased, grinning gently.

"Hey yourself," she replied, getting up. "You're a really nice pillow, by the way."

"So I've been told. C'mon, class starts in five minutes, and I don't know about you, but I don't want to get yelled at by the teacher for being late again." The couple shared a laugh as Gohan grabbed their bags, slinging his over his shoulder and carrying hers in his hand. Taking her hand with his free one, the two walked into the building. Videl watched them go, eying their joined hands as a jolt of jealousy passed through her.

'_Wait, what the heck? I'm not jealous_,' she told herself, as she took her things and followed them inside. Out of the three, she spent the least amount of time with Gohan and knew little more than his hobbies and how smart he was. She couldn't be jealous, because she didn't like Gohan. He was a friend; not a close one, but a friend none the less and nothing more.

~~~InHisFather'sFootsteps~~~

"What's wrong Videl?" The girl in question looked up from her notebook and watched as Gohan sat down across from her. They were in study hall, although most of the students were using that time to goof off or take a nap.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Well, you've been staring at your notebook for the past twenty minutes and you've yet to write a single thing down," he said. "Is something bothering you?"

"Oh," she replied, slightly embarrassed. She'd been caught spacing out. "No…I'm fine…"

"Are you sure?" he asked. "You know that you can tell me if something is bothering you, right? I mean, we are friends, aren't we?"

Videl slowly nodded her head. Yes, they were friends, but as she'd told herself earlier that day, not very close. She'd known him for about two months now, and Sharpner and Erasa both seemed to really trust him. Maybe it was time that she too, open up to him, even if just a little. No, she would not tell him all her deepest, darkest secrets, but telling him what was on her mind was a good start.

"Well…I've been thinking a lot about Bardock lately…" she admitted.

"What about Bardock?" asked Gohan, genuinely interested in what she had to say. If it included his super-hero alter-ego, then he was definitely all ears.

"Who is he? Where did he come from? I don't know if you remember, but there was a little boy at the Cell Games with blonde, spiky hair, and he'd be about Bardock's age by now I think. Are they the same people? Maybe they're related?" All these questions came rushing out and Gohan was just barely able to comprehend what she had said.

"Well, why does it all matter?" he asked. "You clearly know that he isn't a bad guy, and that he won't cause the city any harm."

"I know, and before I was kind of…angry at him for sort of taking my job, but he and I had a small talk and I've mostly forgiven him for that. I know he just wants to do the right thing. But…it's those powers of his. He's a thousand times stronger than even my father's most powerful students, his speed is fast enough to dodge bullets, he can shoot beams of energy…heck, and he can FLY! My father has always said those kind of things were nothing but cheap tricks, but I've seen Bardock up close and personal. There are no wires or special gadgets attached to his body or armor. So, how does he do it?"

Gohan laughed silently to himself. If only she knew… "Well, why don't you just ask him? He seems like a nice enough guy."

"I guess I could ask," she said, contemplating the idea. "But I doubt that he'd really answer."

"You never know!" Gohan replied. "Maybe he'll even teach you how to fly!" Standing up, he made an impression of someone flying away.

Videl laughed loudly, quickly clamping her hand over her mouth before the librarian heard her. "Sit down," she said harshly; grabbing the front of his jacket and tugging him back down into his seat. "Before someone thinks you're an idiot…"

Gohan smiled, an idea coming to mind. "Well, I wouldn't want anyone thinking that," he said, getting back up to stand behind her.

"What are you doing?" she asked, turning around to face him.

"You said that I looked like an idiot trying to fly away."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did that hurt your feelings?" asked Videl, teasingly.

"Nah, I just didn't want to be the only one." Faster than she could react, he'd picked her up by the waist and sat her on his shoulders.

"What are you doing!" she screamed, as Gohan ran out the door and into the hallway, holding her legs securely as he dashed outside. He didn't need to worry about being caught. It was last period, which was a free class for them, and many other students were roaming the halls as well. "Put me down THIS INSTANT!"

"Sorry, no can do! We're on a one way flight to the baseball field with no stops in between!" he answered, running past the track.

"PUT ME DOWN!" she shouted, pounding him hard on the head. Those in PE watched on, amused, as Gohan ran past them, an angry Videl on his shoulders.

"No!" he shouted back, turning his head upwards to look at her. With a playful smirk, he stuck his tongue out at her.

"I said put me down!" she repeated, smacking him harder.

This, of course, had no effect on the battle-hardened warrior. "No way! We're not there yet!"

Videl growled and tried a different approach. "_Please_ put me down?"

"Nope!" Gohan laughed as she went back to hitting his head, still not feeling a thing. All the while, a frustrated Videl sat upon his shoulders screaming bloody murder. "And we have touchdown!" he said, in his best pilot voice, reaching the baseball field. Kneeling down, he let Videl hop off before straightening back up and grinning down at the furious girl before him.

"I'm going to kill you!" screeched Videl, launching herself at the tall boy. She gave chase as Gohan ran away, following him up the bleachers, behind the trees, around the school building and past the locker rooms before running out of breathe and stopping.

"What did you say you were going to do?" teased Gohan, stepping in front of her. The girl was fast, and had a lot of endurance, he'd give her that, but she was no match for the speed and stamina of the universe's most powerful warrior.

"I said I was going to kill you…and I am!" she cried, suddenly pouncing forward and knocking both of them to the ground. He winced—not in pain, but instinctively—as Videl smacked him in the side of the head, before rolling off of him and lying next to him on the grass. "Idiot!" she mumbled, still slightly out of breath.

There was a minute of dead silence before they both burst out laughing. "You should have heard yourself!" Gohan cried, wiping away tears. "Put me down, Gohan!" he mimicked, in a high-pitched girly voice.

"Oh, shut up! You were the one running around like a chicken with its head cut off!" she shot back.

Gohan only laughed harder. After the two had finally calmed down, he turned to her and asked, "So do you feel better?"

Videl smiled and nodded her head. "A lot better. Thanks for the advice…and the adventure."

Gohan smiled and reached over, taking her hand and giving it a friendly squeeze. "That's what friends are for!" They continued to lie there until the bell rang, signaling the end of school. Getting up off of the ground, the two slowly made their way back to the library. As they walked, side by side, Videl grinned and playfully shoved Gohan, making him stumble a few feet. The young Saiyan laughed and shoved her back. They continued to play their game of shove war, seeing who could push who the hardest. It was a tie until Gohan, too caught up in having fun, forgot to restrain his enormous strength and pushed Videl into a bush.

"Whoops!" he said, watching her tumble over the plant. He let out a loud laugh as she tried to get out of it, leaves and twigs sticking out from her hair. Taking pity on the girl, he offered her a hand, only to have her pull him into the bush as well. "Hey!" he pouted, as he pushed himself off of it, removing stray branches and leaves. "That wasn't very nice!"

"Well pushing me into the bush wasn't very nice either," Videl retorted, grinning. "But now we're even."

"Fine, fine, whatever," he said, as they continued to walk. "Hey, want to do it again?" he asked suddenly, a playful grin on his face.

"Do what?"

Picking her up and placing her on his shoulders, he answered, "Let's have another go."

It was silent as Videl mulled over her answer, before a huge smile spread across her face. "All right then. Next stop, the library!" Gohan shot off, this time Videl screaming in joy and laughter as they raced towards the building.

~~~InHisFather'sFootsteps~~~

**A/N: READ FOR INFO ON UPDATES!** Okay, sooo I suppose I have some news for you all. After much deliberation, and almost a year of waiting for clearance, Swoofie is joining the Army! My physical and enlistment are all scheduled for next week, and from there on out, its almost unpredictable to know what will happen to me. I haven't talked to my recruiter much yet about basic training, and as such, I don't know yet when I'll be sent out. But many other recruits have assured me that my chances of being sent in for training are quite slim, as they stop taking people at around this time due to the upcoming holidays. So, i'm assuming that will give me about until the beginning of January before I'm gone. However, Swoofie does NOT enjoy making a fool out of herself, and will be dedicating much of her time preparing herself mentally and physically for basic training before being sent out (must remember to SHOUT "Yes, Drill Sgt!). So that means my updates, from now on, will be very sporadic, but I'm hoping to update at least once a week. Anyway, I hope all you readers out there can understand my situation and don't hold a grudge against me for lesser updates. Aside from that, I really hope you enjoyed this chapter! And as always...

**REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW**! (please, thank you, _I'll do 10 push-ups for every review!_)


	10. Blast From the Past

Hey guys! Back with another update for this story! There's a lot of Gohan/Erasa in this chapter, just as a fair warning for any of you that don't like it, but if you can bear it, there's also plenty of action to hopefully make up for it. Anyway, hope you enjoy, and as always...**REVIEW!**

~~~InHisFather'sFootsteps~~~

**Chapter 10: Blast From the Past**

"Class, if you'd please turn to page 102 of your textbooks, I can give you your class assignment for today," instructed the teacher, flipping through the pages of her own book. She waited a few moments for everyone to turn to the appropriate page before grabbing a dry erase marker and writing their directions on the white board. "Good, now, read until page 124 and then answer the questions at the end of the chapter. When you are finished, you have the rest of the period free. Begin!"

The room was silent as the students began their reading, the only sound the occasional turn of the page. Some of the faster readers finished quickly and took out their binders and notebooks, flipping pages back and forth noisily as they searched for the answers to their class work. Halfway through the period, the mostly silent study session was broken as Videl's watch received a call.

"Videl, we've got another bank robbery on the corner of Citrus and Main," said the chief. "They have hostages and demand an audience with you. I'm sorry to bother you during school, but we really can't handle this one without your help."

"It's alright," she said, already packing her things. "I'll be there as soon as I can. Sorry ma'am but I've got to go!" Running down the stairs, she burst through the door and left.

"Teacher, I need to use the restroom!" Gohan suddenly said, standing up in his seat.

"Take the pass," replied his teacher, not once looking up from her magazine.

Hurriedly he made his way down the stairs, grabbing a plastic pass card by the door before leaving. Erasa watched him go, slightly worried. He always seemed to be going to the bathroom these days and she wondered if maybe it was a potential medical problem. Sharpner, on the other hand, took advantage of Gohan's unguarded paperwork and dragged the Son boy's binder towards him.

"Y'know, I wonder where Gohan really goes," said Sharpner quietly, as he looked between his paper and Gohan's, quickly jotting down similar, but re-worded answers.

"What do you mean?" asked Erasa, giving him a sharp look. "He just said that needed to use the restroom."

"Are you kidding me? He's always gone for like…half an hour! I highly doubt that its diarrhea, Erasa."

"Okay, so he skips class. What's the big deal? It's not like he doesn't already know all of this stuff," she defended.

"Well, I mean, he leaves like right after Videl does. Don't you think that's a bit suspicious?" he asked. He didn't mean to be so accusing of Gohan, but it was true. Seconds after Videl was whisked away to deal with a robbery, Gohan would run after her, complaining of a sick stomach or needing to use the restroom.

"Y-you don't…I mean, do you…do you think something is going on between them?" she asked, suddenly remembering how close the two had become over the past few weeks.

"Erasa, I'm not saying that," replied Sharpner, not wanting to upset her. "I'm just saying it's weird how Gohan disappears all the time."

"I guess…" she answered, now a little worried.

Ten minutes later, Gohan returned to class and took his seat next to her. He gave her a warm smile and she quickly returned it, although half-heartedly. A few minutes later, Videl returned as well, sitting down and pulling her things out once more. Gohan gave a side-ways glace at her, watching momentarily as she continued the work she'd stopped before leaving. Erasa, who had been studying her boyfriend at the time, did not miss the look between the two and frowned slightly to herself. When the bell rang at the end of the day, she gathered her things and packed them in her bag.

"Hey Videl, wait up!"

Erasa looked over as Gohan jogged down the stairs to catch up with the Satan girl, who was already half-way to the door. She narrowed her eyes at Sharpner, who gave her a knowing look and she shook her head. He sighed and shrugged his shoulder, allowing her to pass by him before following her down the stairs to go after their two friends. Deciding that she wanted to talk to Gohan, she quickly caught up to him and grabbed his hand.

"Oh, hey Erasa!" he said, smiling down at her and he squeezed her hand.

For a second, any worry she felt disappeared as she looked into his reassuring eyes, but her curiosity was just too much for her to handle. "Gohan, I want to talk to you," she said, tugging his arm in a different direction. "You two go ahead, we'll see you tomorrow!"

"Bye Sharpner, bye Videl!" called the Saiyan, as he was led away by his girlfriend. The two walked quietly, hand in hand, as they made their way through the school parking lot. "So, what did you want to talk to me about?"

"I…I don't know how to say this…"

Gohan gave her a quizzical look, slightly confused by her nervous stuttering. "Erasa, whatever it is, you can tell me," he said gently, pulling her closer.

Erasa sighed and averted her gaze. "Is something going on between you and Videl?" she asked hastily, still looking away. She chanced a quick glance in his direction and felt her stomach twist guiltily at the shocked expression on his face. It looked as if a bucket of ice cold water had been dumped on him.

"E-Erasa, you know I would never…I mean, Videl and I…" He couldn't even begin to come up with anything to say, still too surprised to speak. "No!" he finally said, the only thing he could trust himself to say without making himself look like a bumbling idiot.

"I'm sorry…it's just you're always disappearing whenever she leaves, and…you two seem to have gotten really close all of sudden these past few weeks…" She looked away again, now ashamed of ever bringing this up.

Gohan stared down at her, feeling guiltier and guiltier by the second. She thought he was with another girl behind her back! He never thought that his going off as Bardock would be noticed in such a way, and he mentally berated himself for making her feel this way. He opened his mouth to explain, but immediately shut it when he realized he had nothing to say to her. He had no excuses…

"I'm sorry Gohan," said the blonde, looking at him apologetically. "Just forget I said anything. You're a good boyfriend and I know you would never do anything like that to me. I should go. I promised my mom I'd go visit my grandparents with her later... " She gave him a sad smile before turning to walk away, the Saiyan unhappily watching her go.

"Erasa, wait!" he shouted, running after her. Quickly catching up to her, he grabbed her hand and pulled her back to him. "You're my girlfriend, and I would never, ever do anything intentionally to hurt you. I-I can't really explain why I'm always leaving, but I can tell you that absolutely _nothing_ is going on between Videl and I. She and I are just friends." He leant down and gently kissed her cheek, grinning shyly as he said, "You're my girl, no one else…"

Erasa couldn't help but giggle and gave him a quick peck on the lips, much to his surprise. It was a rare display of affection outside of hugs and holding hands; although they'd been together about a month now, Erasa knew he was still somewhat shy about those kinds of things and they'd only shared little kisses here or there. "I'm really so—mm…" It was her turn to be surprised as Gohan lightly pressed his lips against hers, effectively cutting off her apology.

"Don't be," he said, kissing her again. "You had your reasons, and I'm glad you brought it up."

"Really?" she asked.

"Yeah, I don't want you to keep things like this from me," said Gohan, pulling back and wrapping his arms tightly around her. "If something is bugging you, just tell me. I'm always here for you, and I'll understand."

"You're a sweetheart, y'know that Gohan?" said Erasa, as she giggled once more. She held him close, resting her head against his chest as she smiled softly to herself, the uneasiness in her heart quickly fading away into nothing.

~~~InHisFather'sFootsteps~~~

"Gohan, quit pouting and hurry up," said Erasa, as she dragged him through the mall. She rolled her eyes as he stared longingly at the food court and grabbed his arm, tugging him in the direction of another store. "You just ate before we left, so don't tell me you're hungry again. We'll eat later. I'll even buy you frozen yogurt from that one place you like so much."

"Really? You promise?" asked the Saiyan eagerly, perking up at the mention of food.

"Yes, I promise. Now, be a good boy and come along," she said, as the two walked into one of her favorite department stores. Making their way through the aisles, she picked out several outfits and handed them to Gohan, who dutifully followed her throughout the shop. When she was satisfied with the pile, she led him to the dressing rooms and sat him on a chair, taking the outfits with her into the stall.

"How does this one look?" asked Erasa, appearing a minute later dressed in long, black spandex shorts, a form fitting white shirt and dark gray bomber jacket.

The spiky haired teen titled his head and looked her over. A second later, he grinned and nodded his head, giving the blonde a thumb up. "It looks really good," he answered.

His girlfriend smiled and walked back into the room, changing into a new outfit as she tossed her previous outfit over the top of the stall for him to catch. "Put that into the 'maybe' pile, will you?"

"Got it," he said, already knowing what to do. He'd gone shopping with her enough times to know how she liked to organize things. There was a 'no,' 'maybe,' and 'definitely yes' category when it came to trying on clothes, as she was very particular about what she wore. This went on for about an hour as she tried out different clothes and Gohan separated them into their respective piles. When she was finally done, Gohan put the items in the 'no' category on the rack to be put back while Erasa looked through her 'maybe' pile and made final decisions on what to buy.

"So you all set?" asked Gohan as he came back, noticing the piles had been adjusted.

"Yeah, I think so," she replied, picking up the clothes she wanted to buy. "C'mon, I'll pay for these and then we can go eat."

Gohan gave a mental whoop of joy as he followed her to the front register, shifting back and forth on his feet in barely restrained excitement. Seeing her finish the purchases, he took her two bags from the counter and allowed her to slip her arm around his before heading out. Arriving at the food court, they found a table and set their things down, Erasa promising to save the table while Gohan went off and bought them lunch. Finding his favorite food stand (3 eggrolls for 1 zenni!), he ordered two dozen plus a few sides of noodles and rice and brought it back to the table.

"You sure that's enough to feed you?" asked Erasa, as she pulled a small plate of noodles towards herself and grabbed two eggrolls. "I know you can eat a lot more than that."

"This is good enough to get me by for the rest of the day," came his muffled reply, mouth already stuffed with rice and noodles. The two ate in comfortable silence, Gohan quickly inhaling his portion and finishing what Erasa couldn't. As they got up to leave, the building suddenly shook violently as a loud explosion went off in the distance. It was instant chaos as the scared citizens went running off, unsure of what was going on.

"Oh my gosh, what was that!" cried Erasa, clutching Gohan's arm fearfully.

"I don't know but—watch out!" He shoved the blonde to the floor, throwing himself over her protectively as a giant, red blast of energy passed overhead. His breathe caught in his throat as it flew past him, just barely singeing the tips of his tall spikes. He watched in a mixture of awe and horror as the beam plowed through a wall, and then another, eventually making a hole straight through the entire mall. His stomach dropped as he thought of any innocent bystanders that may have been caught in the blast, and he snapped his head in the direction of its origin.

What he saw made his eyes narrow, and his blood boil. Floating outside was a tall, muscular figure, with dark red skin, a reptilian like tail swaying dangerously behind it. Jumping to his feet, Gohan shoved the bags into Erasa's hands and pushed her away.

"Get out of here," he ordered, staring darkly at their mysterious attacker. "No, I mean it! Get out of here now! Things are about to get a lot worse!"

"G-Gohan, what's going o-on?" sobbed Erasa, frightened as she clung tighter to the Saiyan.

"I don't have time to explain!" he shouted harshly, instantly regretting it as he saw her wince at his tone. "I'm sorry, please, just go! You and everyone else here is in danger." Shoving his capsule car into her hand, he pushed her towards the mall's other exit. "Take my car and go."

"B-but…" she protested.

"No buts, understand?" he said. "I'll see you later, I promise. Please…please just get out of here."

Erasa stared pleadingly into his eyes, but he remained steadfast and she sighed in defeat. Clasping the capsule tightly in her hand, she nodded her head as she wiped her tear-filled eyes. "I-I don't know what's going on, or what you're not telling me, but…just be careful ok?" He nodded his head and she kissed his lips before turning and running away, hoping beyond hope that whatever her boyfriend was about to do, he'd return safely to her.

Gohan watched her go, and noticing that people were no longer around, pressed the watch on his wrist and transformed into Bardock, a golden aura bursting forth from his person as he ascended. Growling lowly, he stepped back and roared his frustrations. "KA-RYU!" he shouted in rage, the golden flame surrounding him suddenly flashing brighter as it danced wildly around him.

"So you remember me after all," said the Fire-jin, floating in through the hole he had created. "It's been what…four years since we last saw each other?"

"Four years," repeated Bardock, nodding his head in affirmation. "And I never thought I'd have to see your ugly face again. What are you doing here? Still upset that you were beaten by a child?"

Ka-Ryu snarled angrily and threw a blast of ki at him, which he easily backhanded away. "You stupid boy; you may have grown up some since we last met, but you are still a pathetic child! I was supposed to win that tournament! I am the most powerful being in the universe, and you took that from me! I swore to you I'd come back and defeat you, and here I am, now many times stronger than I ever was before! You stand no chance against me!"

"I remember you saying something similar to that at the tournament all those years ago, and as I recall, I still kicked your ass!" taunted Bardock, smirking.

"You got lucky last time with that second transformation," said Ka-Ryu, crossing his arms. "But now I know the extent of your powers and have trained non-stop to become stronger. Today, I will take back what was rightfully mine and destroy you, proving that I am, in fact, the most powerful warrior in existence. Prepare yourself!" Flaring his ki, the reptilian charged towards him with incredible speed, dust and debris flying in wake of his passing.

'_Oh man, he's gotten faster!_' thought Bardock, just barely able to bring up his defenses in time as he brought up his arm, blocking what would have been a devastating kick to the head. Phasing away, he attempted to distance himself from his opponent, only to be kneed in the back as Ka-Ryu appeared instantly behind him. Grimacing in pain, he spun around, kicking his leg out in an attempt to catch the other off guard. He scowled as his kick was dodged and leapt forward, throwing his fist into Ka-Ryu's gut, smirking in satisfaction as he groaned in pain, spit flying from his mouth at the force of the blow.

"You've definitely improved, but you're still no match for me," teased Bardock, as Ka-Ryu stumbled back. He dodged left and right as the Fire-jin retaliated with a barrage of kicks and punches, hitting him with a few punches of his own whenever he found an opening. The alien growled and jumped back, taking advantage of the space to power up.

"Don't think that because you landed a few hits, you're better than me," he said. "I'm just warming up!" Charging forward once more, he threw a giant blast of ki at the Saiyan, phasing behind him once again and jump-kicking him directly into the blast. He laughed haughtily as he heard the man's cry of pain as it exploded, standing defensively as he waited for the smoke to clear. When the clouds dissipated, it revealed a slightly smoldering Saiyan, his body smoking from the heat of the attack. Aside from a few, small scorch marks on his body and a burnt tear in his spandex it had done nothing to harm him.

"Is that the best you've got?"

"There's a lot more where that came from!" shouted Ka-Ryu, slamming an elbow into his chest. Bardock lurched forward in pain, and he quickly took advantage of this, jack-hammering him in the back of the head and sending him crashing into the ground. Not wasting a chance to do some serious damage, he brought both hands forward and shot blast after blast of ki at him. He was relentless with his attack, sending a continuing volley of ki blasts for a minute or two before finally letting up. He stared down at the destruction he had caused, smirking as he saw the large crater it had created. The boy would have a hard time recovering after something like that.

"Seriously, is that the best you've got?" asked a voice from behind, and he spun around in shock. Floating before him was a bloody and bruised Bardock, but his injuries seemed to hold no affect him on him whatsoever.

Instead of answering, he screamed in fury, aggravated at the teen's resilience. "I didn't want to do this, but you leave me no choice!" Continuing to scream his rage, his aura grew larger and larger, pushing Bardock back just through sheer force. It grew from a bright red, to a dark crimson, as flames and bolts of electricity were discharged around him. Bright light flooded the area, temporarily blinding the Saiyan before receding back and revealing a newly transformed Fire-jin. Ka-Ryu stood before him, his muscles slightly larger than before, and his skin a blood red. Aside from the increased muscle mass and darkening of his skin tone, there were would have been no drastic changes to his appearance if it weren't for what appeared to be thick, black markings over his body, as if a flame had been tattooed to his body.

"What the…" muttered Bardock, staring wide-eyed at Ka-Ryu, sweat pouring from his face at the sheer heat radiating off the Fire-jin. Not only that, his power had literally shot through the roof, now double, maybe triple what it had been before.

"Just as the Saiyans have their Super Saiyan transformation, my race too has a way to increase our strength, and only the most powerful, battle-hardened warriors of our planet are able to reach such a level," explained Ka-Ryu, smirking sinisterly. "After my defeat at the tournament, I spent much time in the dead of space, training myself beyond breaking point in order to reach this level of power. I trained non-stop, day after day, only eating and sleeping when absolutely necessary. I suppose I have you to thank for it; it was your victory over me that pushed me train so hard, and without your defeat as motivation, it probably would have taken me much longer to attain this transformation."

"You're welcome," replied Bardock sarcastically, crossing his arms. "Y'know, all you space villains are the same. You all go around thinking you're high and mighty, but when someone comes along and shows you you're not, you embark on some crazy journey to prove you are. Grow up, accept defeat, and move on."

"You fool! How dare you make a mockery of me! You will pay dearly for such a mistake…" In a flash, the Fire-jin was upon Bardock, slamming his fist into the golden warrior's cheek. Reeling back, the Saiyan had no time to recover as Ka-Ryu continued to pummel him with punches and kicks, reinforcing his arms and legs with ki to enhance the strength of each blow. Kicking him up, he phased above him and grabbed a hold of the straps of his armor. Swinging him around, he flung Bardock to the side, where he crashed into the side of a building, half-buried into the concrete.

'_Ok, note to self: don't tick off a newly transformed Fire-jin_,' thought Bardock, shutting his eyes tightly as Ka-Ryu sent a powerful beam of energy at him, sending him through the building he had been stuck to and out the other side. Feeling himself begin to plummet, he quickly caught himself in the air and flew higher into the sky, hoping to spare the city some damage. Realizing he was no match for the red-skinned alien in his current form, he grit his teeth and powered up, quickly bursting into the second level of Super Saiyan.

"Now that the playing fields are even once again, let the real fight begin," he muttered, dodging to the left as Ka-Ryu came flying at him. The two exchanged fists, matching each other blow for blow as their fight ascended higher and higher into the air. Grabbing the Fire-jin's arm, he pulled the larger male towards him and kneed him hard in the gut. But before he could pull away, he was grabbed by the shoulders in a rough hold. He struggled to break free, but Ka-Ryu's grip was too tight. His eyes widened in slight fear as he smelled smoke and realized the Fire-jin's hands were on fire.

"Burn!" shouted Ka-Ryu, laughing manically as he intensified the heat, the scent of burning flesh filling his nostrils.

"G-get…off…of…ME!" shouted Bardock, flaring his ki. It was just enough to push the other away from him, and he quickly distanced himself from his opponent. He breathed heavily and winced as his shoulders burned painfully, a steady stream of blood oozing down his arms. Mentally berating himself for getting caught like that, he swore never to let himself be caught off guard again and charged forward, deciding offense would be the best option at the moment.

Flying at him with incredible speed, Bardock nailed Ka-Ryu with a swift uppercut, followed by a quick succession of jabs. Ducking beneath a kick, he flew beneath and behind the Fire-jin and jump-kicked him in the back. As his opponent was sent flying forward, he phased in front of him and slammed a fist directly in the middle of his face. The reptilian alien lashed out in anger and kicked a leg forward, hoping to score a hit, only to have it caught by a hand. Bardock glared at his former competitor and gripped the leg painfully hard, extending his arm forward and releasing a giant, golden blast of ki.

Ka-Ryu was sent back down to earth, crashing painfully into the ruined remains of the mall's food court. Struggling to his feet, he stood to catch his breath, panting heavily as he wiped blood from his mouth. He wearily eyed the Saiyan as he floated down into the rubble, standing a dozen or so meters away. He opened his mouth to speak when a small whimper caught both fighters' attention, their heads turning to look for the source of the noise. Eyes spotting a young, blonde woman whose leg had been caught beneath a small pile of rubble he raised a hand and fired off a small ki blast. He didn't need the weak, pathetic humanoid distracting him in the fight.

Bardock's eyes widened in shock as he spotted Erasa caught beneath a wooden beam, heart pounding loudly in his chest as Ka-Ryu threw a ball of ki at her. Instantly, he was in front of her, crouching over her body as he took the brunt of the attack. The Fire-jin, realizing he was going to protect the woman, decided to take advantage of the situation and fired a round of ki blasts at him. Bardock groaned and continued to shield Erasa, feeling his armor begin to crack and fall apart under the unrelenting attack. Ka-Ryu spotted a hole in the Saiyan's armor and pointed a single finger, sending a small, but densely concentrated beam of ki at it, piercing straight through his side.

Bardock screamed in pain as the blast tore through his side, losing his transformation as he slumped forward, reverting back to his normal Saiyan state. Erasa, who had shut her eyes in fear, heard the scream and opened her eyes, letting out a pained scream of her own as she realized who exactly had been protecting her. "GOHAN!"

"Oh god…Gohan!" she screamed again, shaking his limp form. "Gohan! Oh my god, oh my god…don't you dare die on me! GOHAN! WAKE UP! Please…don't leave me…" She buried her face in his chest and sobbed loudly, fearing for the worst.

"Well, isn't this something else," said Ka-Ryu, laughing as he walked closer. "It seems little Gohan really has grown up. Are you his mate? Such a pretty girl; you'll be a nice prize for killing him. And to think, I almost killed you myself…"

Erasa gasped and instinctively tried to get away, unable to because of her stuck leg. She looked back and forth between Gohan's unresponsive form and the monster that was slowly but steadily coming closer, praying for a miracle to happen. Just as all hope was lost, a blue blast of energy came suddenly from nowhere, hitting Ka-Ryu squarely in the back. Whirling around, the Fire-jin glared at the newcomer, angry for having been interrupted.

Vegeta landed on the ground before him, crossing his arms over his chest as he scowled at the red alien. His eyes landed on Gohan's battered body, noticing his severely bloodied arms, and the gaping hole in his side, a small pool of blood forming around him. Using he senses, he felt around for his ki, almost sighing in relief when he found the other Saiyan to still be alive, but just barely. The boy was fading fast, and if he didn't receive medical attention soon, he'd be gone for good. Bringing his gaze back towards Ka-Ryu, he let out an angry roar as he burst into Super Saiyan 2.

"That's Saiyan blood you've spilled!" he shouted, phasing behind him and kicking him high into the sky. Gathering his ki, he shot after him, leaving nothing but a golden trail behind.

Erasa watched her unexpected savior take off after the monster before turning back to Gohan's body, quiet sobs racking her body as she began to shake him once more. "Gohan…" she cried, her voice barely above a whisper. "Please, Gohan…you have to come back. You have to be alive…please; please…don't be dead…"

When she got no response, she threw herself over his still form and sobbed loudly and uncontrollably. "No! No!" she said, gripping his body tightly as tears poured down her face. "H-how is this possible! How c-could you be Bardock! This…this can't be happening!" She continued to cry over her boyfriend's body, no longer caring that she was stuck in a battle zone, barely even aware of the shockwaves that signaled the continuing fight high above her. Seconds seemed to drag on for hours, but what seemed like an eternity was little more than minutes as she continued to cry, mourning her loss.

"Ngh…"

Erasa's eyes widened as she lifted her head, the sudden gasp of pain bringing her out of her misery. Slowly, Gohan's eyes fluttered open and immediately, the couple locked eyes. For a moment, the two stared at each other before he opened his mouth to attempt an explanation. The words immediately died on his mouth as Erasa let out a strangled sob and crushed her lips against his; effectively silencing anything he could even begin to say. Pulling back slightly, she peppered kisses all over his face, holding him close as she continued to sob, though her tears were now ones of joy.

"You stupid, stupid idiot!" she shouted suddenly, slapping him across the face. Gohan's eyes were wide, not in pain, but in shock. "Why didn't you tell me you were Bardock! And…and…oh god, Gohan! You're still bleeding!"

Gohan grimaced and looked down, placing a hand over his wound; partially to help stop the bleeding, and partially to hide the extent of the damage from his girlfriend. A loud explosion caught their attention and he looked up, sensing the battle going on between Vegeta and Ka-Ryu. Weakly, he struggled to his feet and lifted the rubble off of Erasa's leg. Clutching his side, he gathered his ki, preparing to enter the fray once more.

"Don't tell me you're planning on fighting still! You almost died! You _are_ dying!" Erasa yelled, tugging his arm. "C'mon…w-we have to get you to a hospital! You've lost too much blood!"

Wincing in pain, he gave the blonde a small smile. "This…is my battle," he panted, pulling away. "I've…got to f-finish this…I promise I-I'll explain everything…" With a grunt of effort, he flew into the sky to join in the fighting.

"Brat, what the hell are you doing up?" shouted Vegeta, as he held Ka-Ryu in a full-nelson. Both were worse for wear, sporting various cuts and bruises, though the Fire-jin was in much worse condition due to his earlier fight with Gohan. "You are in no condition to be fighting. How you're even still standing after sustaining an injury like that is beyond me."

"I'm fine…Vegeta…" said Gohan, breathing heavily. "This is my fight…let me finish it…"

The Saiyan prince looked between Ka-Ryu and the heavily injured Gohan, contemplating his answer. Although concerned for the boy's health—not that he'd ever admit it—he was proud that he was acting like a true Saiyan, and demanding to continue fighting even when it seemed like he wouldn't make it. But then again, there was that damn harpy's frying pan to think about…

He continued to hold the struggling Fire-jin, watching in a mixture of annoyance and admiration as Gohan ascended into Super Saiyan, and subsequently Super Saiyan 2. When the teen continued to power up, his eyes widened further in shock as his power level skyrocketed and he transformed into something even beyond that. Standing before him, Gohan had taken a big increase of muscle mass, and his tall spiky hair had grown long, flowing freely behind him in a fashion similar to that of his uncle Raditz.

"I said, let me finish!" shouted Gohan, his voice dangerous. The rush of adrenaline from his Super Saiyan 3 transformation kept him from collapsing then and there on the spot, but he knew he only had one chance to end the fight before he finally gave into his injuries. But he knew that one shot was all he needed.

"Fine, have it your way," scoffed Vegeta, releasing Ka-Ryu. Floating back a few yards, he gave the two room to finish their fight. "But once this is all over with, I demand an explanation for this third ascension!"

Gohan nodded his head and glared at the Fire-jin, who now floated fearfully before him. "You attacked my city, attacked me…even attacked my girlfriend. I won't stand for this Ka-Ryu. I held no ill thoughts of you after our first fight all those years ago, but it seems your thirst for power and revenge has driven you to madness. I cannot let you go on unpunished." Spreading his legs wide, he crouched down and cupped his two hands by his side, chanting the familiar syllables of his father's most famous attack.

"KA…"

"N-no! I'm sorry!" shouted Ka-Ryu, now realizing his mistake.

"ME..."

"Please! Have mercy!" cried the Fire-jin, floating back.

"HA…"

Turning around, Ka-Ryu powered up and fled, flying at as fast as he could.

"ME…"

He was already a good fifty yards away, and gaining speed. It was too far for the Saiyan to get an accurate hit, and if he could fly just a few more miles, he could reach his airship and fly into the safety of space. Suddenly, Gohan phased in front of him, still poised to attack.

"HAAAH!" He threw his hands forward and hit Ka-Ryu point blank, the blue beam of energy disintegrating him on impact. Pulling his hands back, the blast faded and he dropped his arms to his sides, instantly losing his hold of his powers as his hair and eyes reverted back to their natural black. He let out a tired laugh, eyes rolling to the back of his head as he lost consciousness and began to fall from the sky. But before he could drop more than a few feet, Vegeta had caught him, slinging him over his shoulder and flying as fast as he could towards home. The boy had some serious answering to do once he was healed. But first things first, there was a rejuvenation tank with the brat's name on it.

Far below, a scared and confused Erasa watched him fly off, eyes securely locked on the lifeless form of her boyfriend. "Gohan…"

~~~InHisFather'sFootsteps~~~

A/N: Alrighty, so that's it for this chapter. I know Ka-Ryu was a bit sudden and unexpected, but I've been itching to put in a battle scene, since its been pretty lacking the past few chapters. Also, I did kind of foreshadow it in the tournament chapter where he said he'd be back one day. Hope you didn't mind all the Gohan/Erasa, but Gohan/Videl will be coming up shortly for all of you that have been waiting. Uhm, what else..yes, for all of you that guessed correctly, Gohan did transform into a Super Saiyan 3 all those years ago in the chamber, and just now revealed it. Also, for any of you that may think Gohan was weak to be beaten up like that, remember, he did take a huge amount of hits protecting Erasa, and i'm sure a hole through the stomach is more than enough to slow even the greatest of fighters down. I'm kind of running out of things to say, so i guess i'll end it here.

Oh wait! In case of any of you haven't noticed, **I have a new story **up called _Nice Guys Finish Last _that I'd really like all of you to read (and hopefully review). It's more of a romance/comedy and is a lot more light-hearted than this story. I hope you can all take the time to take a look at it.

Anyway, as always for this story...

**REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! **(pretty please with 10 push-ups on top! -yes i'm still doing that-)


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